Department of Education: HCMC students do not leave school before 4:30 p.m.

At a regular press conference on the socio -economic situation on the afternoon of September 11, a representative of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City spoke out about the fact that some schools in the area organize students to study on Saturday mornings, causing inconvenience for many parents.

According to the Department, teaching two sessions a day aims to reduce learning pressure, improve the quality of education and create opportunities for students to participate in activities to develop talents and practice life skills. For schools with adequate facilities and staff, Saturday mornings are mainly used to nurture excellent students, tutor weak students or organize activities according to the voluntary needs of parents and students.

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education confirmed that it will not let students leave school before 4:30 p.m.

For schools that cannot teach 2 sessions/day, the school prioritizes arranging classes on the other side of the week, and only when conditions are not met will they arrange additional classes on Saturday mornings. Thus, studying on Saturday mornings is not the only solution or mandatory, but is considered flexibly depending on the situation of each school.

"The Department will issue unified regulations on school start and end times in the 2025-2026 school year for schools to use as a basis for building timetables," the Department of Education and Training replied.

Previously, answering the press, Mr. Ho Tan Minh, Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, requested schools to stop letting students leave school at 3:00 p.m. and forcing parents to pick them up early.

“The education sector cannot make things difficult for workers like that,” Mr. Minh emphasized. It is expected that students will start school from 7am in the morning until 8am at the latest, and finish school around 10:30am onwards; the afternoon will not end before 4:30pm.

Sharing the same view, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training Nguyen Bao Quoc said that schools must make reasonable calculations to make it convenient for parents to pick up and drop off their children. “Some schools teach 5 periods in the morning, only 2 periods in the afternoon and then let students go home, which is not acceptable,” Mr. Quoc said.

In the early stages of the school year, the Department of Education and Training said it is paying special attention to the psychological factors of students and parents. Schools are required to increase school psychological counseling, arrange homeroom teachers and specialized staff to provide timely support. At the same time, schools need to publicize their study plans, organize meetings and counseling so that parents can clearly understand the educational goals and accompany their children.

“The goal of Ho Chi Minh City education is not only to impart knowledge, but also to aim for comprehensive physical, mental and life skills development, so that every day at school is truly a joyful and happy day,” the Department affirmed.