Teaching two sessions a day: Parents agree but still have concerns

On August 5, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) issued Official Dispatch No. 4567/BGDDT-GDPT guiding the organization of teaching two sessions a day in general education institutions for the 2025-2026 school year (referred to as Official Dispatch 4567). This policy has received agreement from many parents in the province; however, they also expressed concerns and specific proposals related to implementation conditions at schools.

Flexible organization, suitable to reality

According to Official Dispatch No. 4567, MOET guides general education institutions to implement teaching two sessions a day based on actual conditions regarding teachers, facilities, teaching equipment, and the specific conditions of each locality and school. Accordingly, the goal of organizing two sessions a day is to improve the quality of comprehensive education, helping students to study, practice, and develop comprehensively in terms of quality and competence as required by the 2018 General Education Program.

The most notable change of Official Dispatch No. 4567 is the regulation that the maximum number of periods is now only 7/day (the current regulation is 8 periods/day) for all three levels (primary, secondary, high schools). Reducing one period per day helps students have more time to rest, reduces stress and pressure, and enables teachers to teach more effectively.

Students of Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary School (Tran Bien ward) during a physical education class, school year 2024-2025. Illustrative photo: Kim Lieu

The dispatch clearly states that in addition to teaching compulsory subjects and educational activities, schools need to strengthen the organization of physical education, life skills, arts, career orientation, STEM education, experiential activities... The time for organizing two sessions a day must ensure that students are not overloaded.

Depending on specific conditions, schools may organize two sessions a day by alternating classes or arranging full-day study for each class. Activities in the second session are organized flexibly, focusing on voluntariness, suitable to the needs, aspirations, and abilities of students.

In addition, MOET requires education departments to direct schools to survey actual conditions, the needs of students and parents to develop plans for organizing two sessions a day; ensuring publicity, transparency, without collecting fees beyond regulations, and without placing pressure on teachers and students…

Official Dispatch No. 4567 allows education departments and schools to proactively develop teaching plans suitable to facilities and teaching staff, helping units be more flexible in arranging and organizing appropriate timetables. The dispatch is also issued to improve the quality of official class hours; overcome the situation of improper extra teaching and learning; build a healthy, safe educational environment, ensuring fairness in access to education.

Facilities, human resources must be adequate

Many parents expressed agreement with the policy of teaching two sessions a day according to the spirit of Official Dispatch No. 4567. However, in order to implement it effectively, parents offered many specific proposals related to facilities and organization of activities.

Tran Thi Loc, a parent with a child in grade 9 in Dau Giay commune, shared: “Organizing two sessions a day, in my opinion, is necessary, as it helps students have more time to study, practice, without needing extra classes outside. But my child’s school still lacks functional rooms, libraries, playgrounds... and has no place for children to rest at noon. I hope the school and the education sector will pay attention to making further investment.”

According to Tran Thi My Lien, residing in Long Thanh commune, the policy of two sessions a day along with the fact that from the next school year, all public school students, from preschools to high schools, will be freed from tuition fees are very good news. This is a humane, practical policy. Two sessions a day are very necessary because the current program is quite heavy; students need time at school to practice, review, and train soft skills, and instead of seeking extra classes, they will be officially taught at school under teachers’ supervision. “My husband and I work at a company all day long, so what worries us most is when my child finishes school early and stays at home alone. If there are two sessions, my child stays at school all day, learns life skills, joins experiential activities - that would be the best” - Lien said.

Besides their agreement, many parents suggested that schools should carefully survey the needs of students and families before organizing two sessions a day. At the same time, schools should provide clear information about goals, content, time, and teaching organization. “We really need to know what our children will learn in the second session, whether they will be taught skills, real-life experiences, whether there will be any fees... With clear information, parents will feel more assured and cooperate in implementation” - Nguyen Hoang Chinh, a parent with a child in grade 10 in Trang Bom commune, shared.

Some parents believe that in order to effectively implement activities such as STEM or life skills and career orientation, teachers should be sent to additional training in modern teaching methods. Nguyen Hoang Anh (Trang Dai ward) suggested: “I agree with organizing more educational activities, but teachers must be properly trained to effectively implement new content.”

By Kim Lieu

Translated by Minh Hanh - Thu Ha