7-period school day: From expectation to pressure

Since implementing the new schedule of "no more than seven periods per day", my 8th grade son and I have had to sit down and rearrange our schedule.

Students of Nguyen Hien High School, Binh Thoi Ward, Ho Chi Minh City on the opening day of the new school year - Photo: NHU HUNG

Last year, in addition to the main morning class schedule, I only had one session for a few extra subjects that were arranged in a cross-session. Therefore, I had more time to rest and study my favorite extra subjects. This year, the class schedule is divided into smaller sessions, with some sessions having only two periods, others having three periods.

As a result, it is difficult for children to register for extracurricular subjects even though the subjects only require one hour per session.

Picking up and dropping off my child is also a difficult problem. If I drop my child off early to get to work, he has to stand outside the school gate because the school does not allow people to enter too early, which would disrupt the regular classes. If I wait until close to the time, I will definitely be late for work.

A neighbor has it even harder. Every Saturday morning, her child has to wake up at 6am just to have one class.

Regulations and reality are different

On August 5, the Ministry of Education and Training issued guidelines for implementing two-session teaching per day from the 2025-2026 school year.

Accordingly, junior high and high school students study a maximum of 11 sessions per week, with no more than seven periods per day, each period lasting 45 minutes. In primary school, the minimum number of sessions is nine, each period lasting 35 minutes.

The policy is expected to reduce pressure, create more space for complementary activities and comprehensive development.

However, in reality, many schools, especially public schools in urban areas, do not have enough facilities because of the large number of students, so they have to make do with a patchwork schedule. To ensure enough regular and supplementary classes, some schools have to "concentrate" their schedules to Saturday mornings.

Some parents said that their children only attend school on the weekend mornings for one to three periods, which is sparse and disrupts family life. In Hanoi , many schools have to arrange classes on Saturdays because if they only study from Monday to Friday, they will not have enough periods as required.

The two-session school day also causes difficulties for parents. Many urban schools let students finish school in the afternoon from 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM, while parents' working hours end later.

Without a shuttle service or ride-hailing service, many parents are forced to leave work early. For workers in industrial zones, the mismatch between their work and their children’s school hours causes direct damage, with some having to quit their jobs to care for their children.

Not to mention the family has two children studying at two different levels as my friend shared, the middle school child starts at 6:45 and must be picked up at 10:30, starts school at 2:00 and finishes at 4:00, and the boarding elementary child starts school at 7:30 and finishes at 5:00.

An educational reform is only successful when it is in harmony with the lives of students and families. Otherwise, what begins as a goodwill effort to reduce workloads will quickly become a burden.

MSc. DANG THI THUY DIEM

The pressure of studying does not decrease.

It is worth noting that the change in the number of periods does not come with an adjustment to the curriculum. The knowledge framework of junior high and high school remains the same, while the transfer exams, graduation exams and university entrance exams are still as difficult as before.

Due to the division of regular school time, it is difficult for students to have continuous review sessions. Meanwhile, current regulations only allow extra teaching in three cases: tutoring weak students, training excellent students and reviewing for final exams.

This means that students in grades 6, 7, and 8 have almost no opportunity to formally review, and teachers also have no mechanism to teach extra classes for pay.

As a result, the need for extra classes still exists but has shifted to private centers or spontaneous study groups, where quality and safety are difficult to control.

The gap between urban and rural areas has also widened, schools in the city with good facilities can organize clubs, extracurricular activities, and boarding, while students in the countryside only study the main subjects and then go home. A common policy but creating two different realities.

International experience

According to OECD Education at a Glance 2023-2025, lower secondary school students in member countries study an average of 909-916 hours/year, or about 24 hours/week, equivalent to 4.7-4.8 hours per day (five days/week). This figure is much lower than in Vietnam, where students usually study 6-7 periods/day, not including extra classes.

More importantly, the timetables in OECD countries are organized seamlessly throughout the day, incorporating extracurricular activities right at school. In Finland, students study from 8am to 2pm, then join clubs.

Denmark has a "full-day school" model, with lunch and skills activities in school. Norway also has popular boarding schools, where students stay at school until their parents get off work. This way, parents don't have to pick them up and drop them off multiple times, and students have a balance between studying and resting.

On the contrary, in Vietnam, the regulation of "no more than seven periods/day" but the lack of a boarding model makes the school schedule fragmented, turning "reducing the load" into a burden of pick-up and drop-off.

The OECD also emphasizes that classroom time is only part of the development process. Students need space for self-study, creativity, and social experience.

But in Vietnam, the regulation of "no more than seven periods a day" lacks a uniform boarding mechanism. The school schedule becomes fragmented, students do not study continuously and do not rest fully.

Flexible approach needed

Instead of rigidly setting "no more than seven periods/day", schools can be given autonomy to arrange, for example, eight periods on some days, in exchange for students having a full day off on another day. Education departments can require schools to survey parents' wishes, only organizing Saturday morning classes when absolutely necessary and with consensus.

More importantly, the boarding model needs to be expanded so that students can eat, rest, and study at school, reducing the pressure of transportation for parents...

DANG THI THUY DIEM

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ngay-hoc-7-tiet-tu-ky-vong-den-ap-luc-20250916082206285.htm