On 12/9, the Department of Education and Training issued guidelines for school start and end times for preschool and K-12 students.

The first class for elementary, middle, and high school students will begin between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m., with the morning session ending from 10:30 a.m. onwards. Afternoon classes can be scheduled from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m., with dismissal between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m.

Preschools will receive children between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. and dismiss them from 4:00 p.m. onwards.

Schools are required to open their doors at 6:30 a.m. and ensure that no students gather at the gate too early or too late. Schools must also manage traffic flow to avoid congestion during peak hours. Schools located near each other on the same road should coordinate their start and end times, staggering them by at least 15 minutes.

Students at Bui Van Moi Elementary School, Phuoc Long Ward, during class on 5/9. Photo: Quynh Tran

Students at Bui Van Moi Elementary School, Phuoc Long Ward, during class on 5/9. Photo: Quynh Tran

Ho Chi Minh City currently has over 2.5 million students. Previously, the old city area mandated the first class to start between 7:00 and 7:15 a.m., with a maximum of eight periods per day.

However, the Ministry of Education and Training's guidelines for two-session schooling issued in early August reduced the number of periods to seven. Many principals noted that maintaining the previous year's schedule would mean students finishing after 3:00 p.m., making it difficult for parents to pick them up.

Therefore, before the department's directive, some schools had proactively delayed the start times for both morning and afternoon sessions by 15 to 30 minutes to allow dismissal after 4:00 p.m.

The Department of Education and Training also requested that schools create reasonable schedules, avoiding Saturday classes to minimize disruption. If necessary, Saturday activities should be limited to gifted student programs, tutoring for struggling students, or voluntary sports clubs.

Le Nguyen