LookAtVietnam – New regulations for management of extra classes at grade schools will prevent students from being overloaded and stop teachers using the system to make extra income.

A teacher helps her grade eight students in Ha Noi with extra maths lessons.

In the draft, schools with two shifts a day will not be allowed to have extra classes.

These include primary schools, except those which opened at the request of parents, those for tutoring weak students and those fostering students’ gifts such as arts, sports and others.

All extra classes at other schools, including those for exam preparation and fostertalented students or tutoring weak students must be in school time.

The regulations also say that students attend extra classes at their own choice, and no organisation or individual can force them, as a way to get money.

“There have been problems arising in organising extra classes in the past,” said Nguyen Thanh Ky, head of the Ha Noi Department of Education and Training’s High School Education Section.

“Too much learning in extra classes has driven students to become overloaded and some teachers don’t finish their teaching intentionally to force their students to attend extra classes.”

Ky claimed that such problems had given extra classes a bad name.

Nguyen Thanh Mai, a mother of two at primary schools in Ha Noi, welcomed the draft regulations, saying that extra classes should return to their true focus, that of fostering and tutoring.

“Extra classes are needed,” she said, “However, in the past years, they have been changed into a source of money for some teachers.”

Mai, who admitted to feeling pressured to let her two children attend extra classes because she didn’t want them to be treated differently from other students, said extra classes should be only for fostering talented students and tutoring weak students.

“I totally agree with some regulations, especially the ones that ban extra classes in primary schools and limit those classes in junior high schools,” she said.

Many educators and trainers in Ha Noi who have expressed concerns over new regulations, say the regulations were too loose and would make it difficult to limit unmanaged extra classes.

Nguyen Quoc Thang, principal of Doan Ket High School in Hai Ba Trung District , said the regulation on the fee for extra classes should be clearer.

“There should be a framework which will regulate the fee for teachers,” he said.

“The discussion about fee, which is regulated to be carried out by teachers and parents, should be carried out by a third part,” he said.

Ta Ngoc Thang, deputy head of Dong Da District’s Education Chamber, said the regulation that bans extra classes at primary schools but allows an exception for weak students at the request of their parents would be difficult to manage.

“It should be confirmed that managing students outside school time is not and should not be extra classes,” he said, “As it is worded, the regulation might lead to the misunderstanding that teachers can open extra classes.”

The regulations on extra classes are especially concerning to those in former Ha Tay Province, which have become part of the system for nearly half a year.

They said the fee would be determined on location and be set by schools and parents in discussions.

Principal of Van Tao High School Le Xuan Trung welcomed the new regulations on extra classes, saying they were an improvement on the old ones issued by the former Ha Tay Province’s People’s Committee.

“The regulation was VND1,300 per student at each class, which was too low,” he said, “The regulation proposing fees be collected according to discussion between schools and parents is more appropriate and reasonable.”

The gap in the fee between schools in Ha Noi and former Ha Tay Province is significant.

The fee for a student in former Ha Tay Province was an average of VND4,000 (US$0.20) per class at school and VND8,000 ($0.40) per class outside the school.

As for a student in Ha Noi, an extra class outside the school ranges from VND50,000 ($2.80) to VND100,000 ($5.70)

However, many parents feel worried about the possible new fees.

Nguyen Thi Toan, a resident in Thach That District, had to pay VND60,000 ($3.40) monthly for her 11th-grader son to attend three extra classes a week at local Hai Ba Trung High School.

“For people in rural areas like us, the old fee was affordable,” she said, “I don’t expect the new fee, when we become a part of Ha Noi, which will be out of our reach.”

Nguyen Van Them, another resident in the same district, said the Binh Yen Primary School, where his son was attending had discussed about the new fee for extra classes.

“It was luckily to stay the same as in the past at VND40,000 ($2.30) a month,” he said, “And I think it shouldn’t be higher anymore”.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News