Nghe An proposes the Ministry of Education to reduce tests, reduce load, and reduce pressure on students.

On the morning of March 25, under the chairmanship of Deputy Minister Nguyen Huu Do, the Ministry of Education and Training held an online conference with 63 provinces and cities nationwide to strengthen measures to prevent and control the Covid-19 epidemic.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do said: Up to now, the Covid-19 epidemic has become increasingly complicated, many localities have had to suspend school for a long time.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do speaks at the conference. Photo: My Ha

For the above reasons, this conference will focus on discussing 3 solutions, which are solutions to prevent the epidemic in the spirit of not letting the epidemic enter schools.

In addition, if the holiday is prolonged, it is necessary to develop a study schedule and manage students' learning at home appropriately, and find solutions to recognize the results of online teaching at home.

Third, it is necessary to develop program content to reduce the content to suit current practical conditions and reduce study time.

Teachers and students in Nghe An produce their own hand sanitizer for use in schools. Photo: My Ha

Speaking at the conference, Director of Nghe An Department of Education and Training Thai Van Thanh reported on the implementation of epidemic prevention and teaching activities in Nghe An province in the past time. Currently, Nghe An has not detected any positive cases of Covid-19 and high school students in the province are still going to school as usual. The remaining levels of education are still closed to ensure health safety when the epidemic is still complicated.

Regarding teaching and learning, the representative of Nghe An province said that at present, teaching online on television at all levels is difficult to implement because the time on television is limited and in many localities, including many mountainous districts of Nghe An, students do not have access to it. In the immediate future, Nghe An only prioritizes final year students in grades 9, 12 and possibly grades 4 and 5.

Director of the Department of Education and Training Thai Van Thanh speaks at Nghe An bridge. Photo: My Ha

If the school break is prolonged, Nghe An suggests that the Ministry should develop a common online teaching program for the whole country and localities, depending on their strengths, can support the development of content for each subject.

Reducing the curriculum also needs to ensure general principles. For example, it is possible to simplify knowledge at the level of recognition and understanding so that students can study and research on their own. In addition, it is necessary to eliminate extensive knowledge and prioritize basic knowledge so that students have enough knowledge not only for this school year but also systematically for the coming school years.

Nghe An students study online via the Internet. Photo: My Ha

Regarding the assessment of learning outcomes, according to the current program distribution, each subject has 2-4 periodic tests. At the present time, if students return to school, continuous testing of many lessons and subjects will be ineffective and put pressure on students. In that context, Nghe An recommends that the Ministry of Education and Training should have flexible guidelines in assessing students and it is not necessary to have all the required tests. Instead, students can replace them with their own products through group assignments or exercises applying practical knowledge.

At this conference, many opinions also said that the Ministry should consider changing the school year plan to anticipate worse situations, have support policies for non-public schools due to long school breaks, and should postpone major events such as the National Phu Dong Sports Festival scheduled to be held in August.

In recent days, due to the large number of people returning from border gates in Nghe An, 3 secondary schools for ethnic minority students in the province have been requisitioned to receive and quarantine workers according to regulations with more than 1,000 accommodations.

If, in the coming days, Nghe An students return to school, the industry has also had a plan to arrange for students from these schools to study together in communes and give up accommodation so that those returning can be quarantined for exactly 14 days.