Specific regulations should be issued soon to manage tutoring and supplementary classes.

On February 18th, the Central Press Conference for February 2025 was held in Hanoi. Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong attended and discussed several issues related to general education, including the management of extracurricular tutoring.

HThe goal is to create schools without extra classes or tutoring.

Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong stated: The Ministry of Education and Training's perspective in drafting Circular 29/2024/TT-BGDĐT is to implement the 2019 Education Law and other relevant legal regulations, in accordance with the practical situation in localities. The Circular aims to better manage extracurricular tutoring activities, not to prohibit or restrict them.

The organization of extracurricular tutoring must ensure that it does not affect the implementation of the school's educational program or the teachers' subject curricula. Extracurricular tutoring must ensure the best interests of students, without coercion; and maintain the image and dignity of educators.

Extracurricular tutoring must align with the 2018 General Education Program. This program should encourage students to be proactive, creative, and develop self-learning habits; teachers should play the role of organizers, examiners, and guides.

Regarding the new points of Circular 29, Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong emphasized: Firstly, the new Circular stipulates that no extra tutoring or supplementary classes are allowed for primary school students, except for training in arts, physical education, sports, and life skills; and no extra tutoring is allowed for students who already receive two sessions of instruction per day from their schools.

Secondly, extracurricular tutoring within schools should not charge students any fees and should only be for three groups under the school's responsibility. The Ministry of Education and Training's stance is to move towards schools without extracurricular tutoring because, in principle, schools and teachers adhering to the prescribed class schedules have already ensured students acquire the necessary knowledge and meet the requirements of the 2018 General Education Program.

Thirdly, regarding regulations on extracurricular tutoring, the new Circular stipulates that organizations and individuals providing extracurricular tutoring for a fee must do so openly, transparently, and in accordance with the law; teachers currently teaching at schools are not allowed to provide extracurricular tutoring for a fee to their own students.

Following the issuance of Circular 29, the Ministry of Education and Training advised the Prime Minister to issue Official Dispatch No. 10/CĐ-TTg dated February 7, 2025, on strengthening guidance on junior high school and high school enrollment and managing extracurricular teaching and learning activities.

In the official dispatch, the Prime Minister acknowledged that in recent times, the entire education sector has achieved many important and positive results in implementing the task of fundamentally and comprehensively reforming education and training, and reforming the general education curriculum.

At the same time, the Ministry of Education and Training and the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities are requested to implement various solutions to further improve the quality and effectiveness of state management regarding junior high school and high school admissions, as well as extracurricular tutoring activities.

Local authorities are getting involved.

Following the direction of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Official Letter No. 545/BGDĐT-GDTrH dated February 11, 2025, on strengthening guidance for general education, which requested the People's Committees of provinces and cities to direct the Departments of Education and Training to strictly implement regulations on managing extracurricular tutoring.

The People's Committees of many provinces and centrally-administered cities have issued documents on strengthening guidance on junior high school and high school enrollment and managing extracurricular tutoring activities in their areas (such as Dong Thap, Nam Dinh, Bac Ninh, Bac Kan...).

Many Departments of Education and Training have issued directives to implement Circular 29. In Ho Chi Minh City, the People's Committee has issued this document. Several Departments of Planning and Investment have also issued guidance documents on business registration and other regulations regarding extracurricular tutoring as stipulated in Circular 29.

Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong stated that, following Official Letter No. 545/BGDĐT-GDTrH, the Ministry of Education and Training will continue to monitor the situation from localities to issue further directives and guidance documents, thereby providing the Departments of Education and Training with a basis for advising and directing implementation at the local level.

The Ministry of Education and Training requests that the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities continue to effectively direct communication efforts and organize thematic conferences to disseminate and guide relevant stakeholders, ensuring uniformity in the implementation of regulations.

The Departments of Education and Training have promptly grasped the situation from schools and teachers to provide guidance or coordinate with other departments, agencies, districts, and counties to issue guidelines appropriate to local characteristics.

Schools and teachers are responsible for teaching in a way that helps students develop qualities and competencies, meeting the required learning outcomes. The design of tests and assessments must also ensure accuracy and completeness in line with the curriculum's objectives. For students whose results are below par and who are preparing for entrance exams or the high school graduation exam, schools and teachers have a responsibility to provide supplementary support.

QEffectively manage tutoring and supplementary classes.

To ensure the Circular is implemented effectively, Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong outlined several solutions to be implemented in the near future to manage extracurricular tutoring, including: Issuing specific regulations to manage extracurricular tutoring.

Enhance the competence and teaching methods of teachers, strengthen the responsibility of educators; and promote the self-learning abilities of students.

Examinations, assessments, and entrance exams must be consistent with the content and learning objectives of the 2018 General Education Program; no questions should be set outside the curriculum to ensure students study according to the program; and the articulation between general education and higher education should be strengthened.

There is a need for sufficient schools to ensure equitable access to education for students; increase the number of schools and classes offering two sessions per day. Strengthen inspection and supervision by state management agencies at both the central and local levels in enforcing regulations on managing extracurricular tutoring; enhance parental and societal oversight of this activity.

Strengthen information and communication efforts to raise teachers' self-respect and encourage them to say "no" to unauthorized tutoring; mobilize parents to agree with and support solutions for managing tutoring activities to ensure the rights and comprehensive development of students.