From October 20, 2020, Circular 28/2020/TT-BGDDT promulgating the Charter of Primary Schools officially takes effect in Vietnam. Below are 05 important new points that teachers, students, and parents need to be aware of as stipulated in Chapter V of the Charter of Primary Schools issued along with this Circular.
Article table of contents
Charter of Primary Schools 2020: 5 New important points that teachers and students in Vietnam need to know (Illustrative image)
1. Allows students over 9 years old to enter grade one in Vietnam
Clause 1, Article 33 of the Primary School Regulations issued with Circular 28/2020/TT-BGDDT stipulates:
- The age for students to enter grade one is 6 years old, calculated by year;
- It allows children with disabilities, underdeveloped physical or intellectual ability, children in areas with extremely difficult socio-economic conditions, ethnic minority children, orphaned children with no place to rely on, Vietnamese children returning from abroad, children of foreigners studying and working in Vietnam to enter grade one at an older age than stipulated, but not more than 03 years;
- If the age exceeds the stipulated 03 years, it is up to the head of the Department of Education and Training to decide.
Meanwhile, under Clause 2, Article 40 of the Primary School Regulations issued with Circular 41/2010/TTBG-DDT, it only stipulates that children with disabilities, children in extremely difficult circumstances, and children returning from abroad can enter grade one at the age of 7 to 9 years. There is no stipulation for children over 9 years old wishing to enter grade one.
Thus, the Primary School Regulations 2020 allow children in the cases under Clause 1, Article 33 to enter grade one if they are over 9 years old, and the decision authority lies with the head of the Department of Education and Training.
2. Specific provisions on the form of submitting school transfer applications in Vietnam
Based on the procedures for school transfer stipulated in Clause 2, Article 36 of the Primary School Regulations 2020, parents or guardians of students can submit the school transfer application directly, by post, or online via the Public Service Portal (if available).
This form of submitting school transfer applications was not stipulated in the Primary School Regulations 2010. It can be seen that the Ministry of Education and Training issued this provision to specify multiple forms of submission, aiding parents to be more flexible and easier when performing school transfer procedures for their children.
3. Increase the handling time for school transfer applications in Vietnam
In the previous Primary School Regulations 2010 (supplemented by Clause 2, Article 1 of Circular 50/2012/TT-BGDDT), principals of the transferred school were allowed to agree on the reception of students in the application, organize discussions, surveys, consultations, and receive and assign students to classes within 01 day. This duration has been increased to 03 days under the Primary School Regulations 2020, specifically, Clause 2, Article 36 states:
Within no more than 03 working days from the date of receipt of the application, the principal of the transferred school must indicate agreement on the reception of the student in the application. If disagreeing, the reason must be clearly stated in the application and returned to the parent or guardian of the student in the form received.
Within no more than 03 working days from the receipt of the full dossier, the principal of the transferred school must organize discussions, surveys, consultations, and receive and assign the student to class.
4. Additional procedures for transferring schools for students returning from abroad in Vietnam
For primary school-age students returning from abroad who wish to register for school transfer, they must follow the procedures stipulated in Clause 3, Article 36 of the Primary School Regulations 2020:
- Parents or guardians of the student submit a request application (according to the template in Annex II attached to this Circular) to the destination school in person, by post, or online via the Public Service Portal (if available);- Within no more than 03 working days from the date of receipt of the application, the principal of the transferred school must indicate agreement on the reception of the student in the application. If disagreeing, the reason must be clearly stated in the application and returned to the parent or guardian of the student in the form received;- If agreeing to accept the student, within no more than 07 working days from the date of receipt of the application, the principal of the primary school must organize an assessment of the student's level, assign to the appropriate class, and receive and manage the student's dossier as stipulated.
This procedure was not stipulated in the previous Regulations. Thus, it is a new procedure for primary school students returning to Vietnam from abroad.
5. To prohibit the act of criticizing students in front of the class in Vietnam
The previous Primary School Regulations only provided a brief stipulation about disciplinary measures if students make mistakes during their learning and training. Clause 2, Article 44 of the Primary School Regulations 2010 permitted teachers to remind, criticize, or notify families when students violate.
However, this provision has been more specifically stipulated in Clause 3, Article 38 in the new Regulations:
Students who make mistakes during learning, training, and in movements can be disciplined depending on the severity of the violation by the following measures: reminding, direct assistance to help students improve; notifying parents to collaborate in helping students overcome mistakes. Teachers are not to criticize students in front of the class, the whole school, or in joint meetings with parents.
This is a progressive regulation ensuring children's privacy rights, allowing them to be respected without feeling embarrassed with their peers. From there, educational work will bring better results, and children will feel attached to their school and be more open to accepting feedback from teachers.
Above are 05 important new points in the Primary School Regulations 2020 regarding students' rights. Parents, teachers, and schools need to grasp these regulations to effectively implement educational work.
Phuong Thanh
