Full Text of the Draft Circular Regulating Extra Classes in 2024 in Vietnam

Full Text of the Draft Circular Regulating Extra Classes in 2024 in Vietnam

On August 22, 2024, the Ministry of Education and Training published a Draft Circular on Regulations on Extra Classes on the Ministry's electronic information portal to collect public feedback. The period for collecting feedback is until October 22, 2024.

>> View the full text of the Draft Circular on Regulations on Extra Classes in 2024: Download

The Draft Circular on Regulations on Extra Classes, once approved, will replace Circular 17/2012/TT-BGDDT. The Draft Circular on Regulations on Extra Classes includes several noteworthy provisions as follows:

(1) Principles of extra classes

- Extra classes may only be organized when students have a need for extra learning, voluntarily attend extra learning, and their parents or guardians (hereafter referred to as student parents) consent. Organizations or individuals organizing extra classes must not coerce students into attending.

- The content of extra classes must contribute to reinforcing and enhancing students' knowledge, skills, and character education; must not contravene the laws of Vietnam, nor have racial, religious, professional, gender, social status prejudices, nor violate Vietnamese customs and traditions.

- The duration, time, and location of extra classes must be appropriate for the psychological development and health of students, complying with legal regulations on security, order, safety, and environmental hygiene in the areas where extra classes are held.

- No reduction of the official school curriculum content is allowed for extra classes; no extra teaching of content that students have not yet learned in the official school curriculum; and no use of examples, questions, or exercises from extra teaching for tests or assessments.

- No extra classes within schools that have already organized two studying sessions per day.

(2) Extra classes within Schools

- The subject-specialized teams hold meetings to reach a consensus on proposals to the head of the school (hereafter referred to as the Principal) regarding extra classes for subjects under their specialization.

For subjects proposing extra classes, the reasons, objectives, content, proposed extra learning duration, and a list of teachers registering for extra teaching by subject for each grade must be clearly stated.

The subject-specialized team's proposal for extra classes must be documented, with signatures from the team leader and a secretary who is a teacher elected during the meeting.

- The Principal, considering the proposals from the subject-specialized teams, organizes a meeting including school leadership, subject team leaders, and representatives from the School's Parent Representative Committee to agree on organizing extra classes for certain subjects and grades, ensuring practicality, fairness, and transparency, for the benefit of the students.

The total number of teaching hours and educational activities according to the school's educational plan and extra classes should not exceed 35 periods per week for primary education, 42 periods per week for lower secondary education, and 48 periods per week for upper secondary education.

- The school publicly discloses the organization of extra classes regarding its objectives, content, duration, extra learning tuition fees, and a list of teachers for each subject and grade level so that students who wish to attend may voluntarily register.

- The Principal drafts a plan for organizing extra classes based on student needs (class assignments, teacher assignments, timetables for each subject at each grade level) and reports to the direct management agency before organizing extra classes. The school's plan for extra classes is publicly posted on the school's information portal and informed to student parents.

(3) Extra classes outside Schools

- Organizations or individuals engaging in extra classes outside schools (hereafter referred to as extra teaching centers) must meet the following requirements:

+ Register for business in accordance with the law.

+ Publicly disclose the subjects for extra classes; the duration of extra lessons for each subject and grade; the location and time of extra teaching sessions; the list of extra teaching teachers; and the extra learning tuition fees before enrolling students.

- Teachers (including Vice Principals or deputy heads of institutions) working and receiving salaries from the payroll of public general education institutions or continuing education centers participating in extra teaching outside schools must meet the following requirements:

+ Report to the Principal about the subject, location, and time of extra teaching and commit to completing assigned tasks without violating the regulations in Article 3 of this Circular.

+ If within the extra teaching class outside the school, the teacher has students who are also in their primary school class, the teacher must report and list those students (full name, class in school) and send it to the Principal, committing to not using any form of coercion to make students attend extra classes.

- Principals participating in extra teaching outside schools must report and obtain approval from the Head of the Department of Education and Training (for lower secondary education) or the Director of the Department of Education and Training (for upper secondary education).

Full Text of the Draft Circular Regulating Extra Classes in 2024 in Vietnam (Image from the Internet)

What are the current principles of extra classes in Vietnam?

Based on the provisions of Article 3 of the Regulations on extra classes issued together with Circular 17/2012/TT-BGDDT, the principles of extra classes are as follows:

- Extra classes activities must contribute to reinforcing and enhancing students' knowledge, skills, and character education, appropriate to their psychological characteristics, and not overwhelming students' learning capacity.

- No reduction of content from the official general education curriculum to extra teaching hours; not teaching extra in advance content from the official general education curriculum.

- Students participating in extra learning must do so voluntarily and with family consent; no coercion of students or their families for extra learning.

- No organizing extra classes classes based on the official school classes; students in the same extra class must have similar academic abilities; class placement for extra classes should be based on students' academic performance.

- Organizations or individuals organizing extra classes activities must take responsibility for the registered content and obtain permission for organizing extra classes activities.

What are the cases in which extra class is not allowed according to current regulations in Vietnam?

Based on the provisions of Article 4 of the Regulations on extra classes issued together with Circular 17/2012/TT-BGDDT, the cases in which extra class is not allowed are as follows:

- Extra class is not allowed for students who study two sessions per day organized by the school.

- Extra class is not allowed for primary school students, except for cases of art upbringing, physical education, and life skills training.

- Higher education institutions, colleges, professional secondary schools, and vocational schools are not allowed to organize extra teaching and learning of general education content.

- Teachers receiving salaries from the payroll fund of public service providers are subject to the following restrictions:

+ They are not allowed to organize extra teaching outside their schools but may participate in extra teaching outside schools.

+ They are not allowed to teach extra classes outside schools to students they are teaching in their official school classes without the permission of their managing authority.