Which medicine 'cures the root cause'?

The new regulations on extra teaching and learning according to Circular No. 29/2024/TT-BGDĐT of the Ministry of Education and Training are receiving many mixed opinions. Experts believe that to solve this problem, the most important thing is to improve the quality of real teaching and learning in schools.

Avoid disrupting learning

From the second semester of the 2024-2025 school year, Dai Mo High School (Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi ) will stop organizing extra classes for its students, in accordance with the regulations on extra teaching and learning of Circular No. 29/2024/TT-BGDDT of the Ministry of Education and Training.

The suspension of extra classes for students in schools has made many parents worried because the need for students to take extra classes is real. Meanwhile, the tuition fees for extra classes from teachers in schools are very low.

A regular class of teachers and students at Ba Dinh Secondary School (Ba Dinh District, Hanoi). Photo: Nguyen Hoai.

Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, a parent whose daughter is in grade 10 at Dai Mo High School, said: “The school organizes extra classes for students who need to improve and enrich their knowledge. My daughter takes extra classes in Literature, Math, English, Physics, and Chemistry, and the tuition fee is only about 200,000 VND/month. Now the school no longer organizes extra classes, I don’t know where to send my child to take extra classes.”

Circular 29/2024/TT-BGDDT regulating extra teaching and learning of the Ministry of Education and Training will take effect from February 14, 2025. According to this circular, there are 3 cases that are not allowed to teach extra classes, including: primary school students; teachers who are teaching at schools are not allowed to teach extra classes outside of school with fees from students for students that the teacher is assigned by the school to teach according to the school's education plan; teachers at public schools are not allowed to participate in the management and operation of extra classes outside of school but can participate in extra classes outside of school.

The new circular stipulates that organizations and individuals who organize extra teaching and learning outside of school and collect money from students must register their business according to the provisions of law.

Principal of Van Yen Secondary School (Ha Dong District, Hanoi) Truong Thi Lien said that if the extra classes are taught in school without fees as stipulated in Circular 29, the school budget will not be enough to cover the cost of extra classes. Currently, the tuition fee for extra classes in school ranges from 6,000 to 13,000 VND/class depending on the number of students in the class, while the tuition fee for extra classes at centers outside the school will be many times higher. Thus, not all parents can afford to let their children participate in extra classes.

"We are waiting for instructions from superiors and are discussing how to avoid causing disruption," said the principal of Van Yen Secondary School.

How to "cure the root"?

The issue of tutoring and extra classes has long been a hot topic, attracting special attention from the public. Although the Ministry of Education and Training has proposed many solutions to avoid the distortion of tutoring and extra classes, up to this point, when Circular 29 is only a few days away from officially taking effect, this issue is still attracting many opposing opinions.

On the other hand, many parents are relieved that their children do not have to take extra classes from their own teachers. The reason, according to Ms. Hoang Dieu Thuy, a parent of a 4th grader in Hanoi, is the quality of teaching. “If my child does not take extra classes from teachers in class, I am afraid that the teachers will not be happy and giving extra classes will take up a lot of my child’s time,” Ms. Thuy said.

Parents' "inconsistent" mentality about tutoring and extra learning is also understandable. In reality, many negative phenomena in tutoring and extra learning have been pointed out such as: teachers teaching at school for show to force students to take extra classes; tutoring and extra learning increase financial pressure on parents; students who do not attend extra classes are "bullied" by teachers... Meanwhile, the need for extra learning of students is real, especially for final year students.

The new regulations on extra teaching and learning in Circular 29 are considered to be suitable to the actual situation and eliminate the mindset of "if you can't manage it, then ban it" in the construction of legal regulations. The new regulations also aim to limit the negative effects of extra teaching and learning. However, many teachers believe that when the circular comes into effect, the problem of whether the organization and management of extra teaching and learning are in accordance with the regulations is still a problem.

To solve this problem, many opinions say that there need to be fundamental and synchronous solutions to "treat the root cause".

Talking to reporters, Associate Professor Dr. Bui Thi An - National Assembly Delegate of the 13th term said that the most important thing now is how to improve the quality of real teaching and learning right at schools, so that students have enough knowledge to attend the next class and pass exams without having to study extra.

Regarding the new regulation, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong said that the viewpoint of the leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training is that in public schools, teachers receive state salaries and use state facilities, so there is no such thing as extra teaching and collecting money from parents and students.

The Deputy Minister of Education and Training pointed out the reality that when the circular was issued, some localities loosened up and stopped supporting students... Mr. Thuong expressed his hope that, in the process of implementing Circular 29, leaders of the Department of Education and Training and school principals would avoid extremes.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/day-them-hoc-them-thuoc-nao-tri-tan-goc-10299629.html