Need for legislation to monitor extra teaching and learning

According to Minister Nguyen Kim Son, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has issued many regulations, especially Circular 17 regulating the control of extra teaching and learning within the school framework. However, for the environment outside of school, the education sector still lacks a legal basis to be able to manage, regulate, monitor and handle.

Harmonizing the interests of learners and teachers

The head of the education sector also believes that the fact that many children go to extra classes is partly due to the needs of parents. Some people bring their children to the teacher, begging her to both teach and look after them. There are also cases where parents are not satisfied with their children going to school for one session, so they take their children to school outside of school hours; hearing that there is a good teacher, they bring them right away or that they have to take several sessions in one night also affects the stress of studying for children.

Speaking about extra teaching and learning, National Assembly delegate Nguyen Van Huy (Thai Binh delegation) recently said that recently, the situation of illegal extra teaching has tended to increase, causing public outrage and putting great pressure on students, especially primary school students. Mr. Huy said that the Ministry of Education and Training needs to quickly and urgently amend related regulations to manage effectively, closely, practically and harmonize the interests of students, parents and teachers.

According to this delegate, the reality of the lives of the majority of teachers today shows that tutoring is a solution to improve income and raise living standards. Doctors can open private clinics after office hours and many people in other professions can work overtime to increase their income, so tutoring is a legitimate right for teachers. Meanwhile, the need for tutoring of many students is real. When students want to review their unsettled knowledge, want to practice more advanced skills to prepare for entrance exams, transfer exams, excellent student exams, etc., tutoring classes are a reliable address for learners to seek. The problem is how to regulate and organize tutoring and tutoring in a healthy and correct way.

Ms. Van Trinh Quynh An, a teacher at Gia Dinh High School (Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), said that according to regulations, teachers are not allowed to teach extra classes spontaneously, and are not allowed to teach students that they are teaching in the main curriculum... However, teachers have many ways to teach extra classes, such as establishing a company to ensure that they teach extra classes in accordance with the law, teaching extra classes at a center, and negotiating the cost.

A lecturer at Hanoi National University also said that in reality, students who need extra help and knowledge improvement should still have tutors. Teachers should not be banned from giving extra lessons, because everyone has the right to work overtime to earn extra income. According to this lecturer, extra lessons are to enrich and systematize knowledge for students in need.

"Conditional business" to avoid secret teaching

According to this lecturer, the Ministry of Education and Training can set a condition that "Only students with an average score below the prescribed level and with the consent of their parents can take extra classes in that subject. The organization of extra classes will be arranged by the school and teachers will be assigned to ensure fairness for all teachers to participate in teaching". If this regulation is implemented, it will bring extra classes to their true meaning, both meeting the needs of students, improving their academic performance and creating conditions to improve fair income for teachers. Putting extra classes into the list of conditional business lines will satisfy the law of supply and demand of society.

According to Circular 17 on management of extra teaching and learning, teachers are not allowed to teach extra classes to students who have been organized by the school to study 2 sessions/day; and are not allowed to teach extra classes to primary school students, except in the following cases: training in arts, physical education, life skills training. However, the head of primary education at a Department of Education and Training in Ho Chi Minh City said that even at the primary level, if desired, it is completely possible to make extra teaching and learning a conditional business. Because at the primary level, depending on the needs of parents, extra classes are mainly for practicing writing and skills. Because if banned, teachers will still teach secretly.

According to Mr. Truong Quoc Hung, Principal of Duc Tri Secondary School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), if it is possible to add extra teaching and learning to the conditional business sector, this is a very good thing to do. He said that in reality, many teachers in public schools have a lot of free time so they go to teach at private schools and pay personal income tax. If managed as a business sector, it will pave the way for teachers to register - teach how many students, charge a certain price and the management agencies will collect taxes.

"However, the tax rate for this activity also needs to have its own characteristics. If the tax rate is too high, it is not possible because it will invisibly put pressure on students," said Mr. Hung.