The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training issued guidance on September 10 regarding the two-session school day program.
The first session will cover the standard national curriculum set by the Ministry of Education and Training.
The second session is divided into two categories. The first includes publicly funded educational activities such as reinforcing knowledge to help students master the curriculum, providing tutoring for struggling students, supporting gifted students, and offering test preparation for the 10th-grade entrance and high school graduation exams (up to six sessions per week, starting at the beginning of the school year).
The second category involves privately funded activities (with parental contributions). Schools will base these activities on city guidelines and their own strategies, ensuring they align with student and parent preferences. Common activities include career orientation, experiential learning, STEM, life skills, digital literacy, AI, and English.
Schools can arrange flexible schedules as long as they meet the required content and session count.
The Department of Education and Training has instructed schools to avoid Saturday classes to minimize disruption to students' lives.
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High school students in Ho Chi Minh City taking the high school graduation exam, June 2025. Photo: Quynh Tran |
High school students in Ho Chi Minh City taking the high school graduation exam, June 2025. Photo: Quynh Tran
Circular 29, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training and effective from February, stipulates that public schools can only offer free extra classes for three groups: students who haven't met academic standards, gifted students, and graduating students who voluntarily choose exam preparation.
To ensure graduating students are adequately prepared, many schools have had to encourage teachers to offer free extra classes. The Ministry of Education and Training subsequently suggested that localities consider allocating funds for this purpose.
Following the administrative mergers, most localities have not yet established specific regulations.
Le Nguyen
