Education ministry to postpone the end of current school year

The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) has decided to postpone the end of the current school year amidst the complicated situation of the Covid-19 epidemic, Minister Phung Xuan Nha has announced.

Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha (far left) during his working visit to Dong Thap province on February 14, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Le Ha)
Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha (far left) during his working visit to Dong Thap province on February 14, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Le Ha)

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During his working visit to Dong Thap province on February 14, Minister Nha said that some localities have reported to the MoET on allowing students back to school from February 17, after two weeks of temporary break to prevent and control Covid-19 spread.

As of 11:20 am on February 14, as many as 30 cities and provinces nationwide have reported to the ministry on their decision to allow students back to school from February 17. Regarding the northern province of Vinh Phuc, which is a hotspot for Covid-19 with 11 infection cases detected so far, students will continue to be off school until February 22.

"I know the leaders of these localities on the basis of the advice from their local Departments of Health and Education and Training have carefully evaluated the disease situation in their localities to make decisions for students to return to school," the minister said.

However, Nha also warned that due to the complicated situation of the disease, localities should carefully consider the plan and only allow students to return to school when they have fully implemented safety measures for students under the guidance of the Ministry of Health.

The minister added that his ministry developed scenarios to cope with the epidemic situation, including the delay of timelines in the current school year plan, especially the time to end the academic year. This is the basis for localities to relax the time frame for their 2019-2020 school year plan and deploy disease prevention and control options, including the plan for students to continue leaving school (if necessary).

“Delaying the end of the school year would cause some difficulties for the education sector and localities, however, it can still be overcome by appropriate management solutions from each school in each location. Disease prevention and prevention, however well prepared, cannot be subjective,” Nha said, urging localities to pay close attention to safety of students. “The life and health of students and teachers are first,” the minister affirmed.

* On February 14, a range of schools in the northern province of Thai Binh simultaneously organised general sanitation campaigns to clean classrooms and urgently implement measures to welcome students to return to school next Monday (February 17) after their prolonged Covid-19 epidemic break.

Teachers at Ky Ba Secondary School in Thai Binh city, Thai Binh province cleaning classrooms on February 14, ready to welcome students back to school next week. (Photo: NDO/Mai Tu)

The Department of Education and Training of Thai Binh province has sent an official dispatch to local education offices and educational institutions to urgently prepare and ensure school medical safety to welcome students back to their study from February 17, focusing on disinfectant solutions in classrooms.

* On the same day, the Departments of Education and Training of Binh Duong and Ca Mau provinces also informed the local educational institutions to allow students back to school from February 17, after two weeks of absence to prevent Covid-19 spread. They were asked to implement Covid-19 preventive measures to ensure the safety of students and teachers.

100% of schools in Binh Duong province have been disinfected. (Photo: NDO/Huu Tung)

* On Friday morning, the Vietnam National University - Hanoi branch held a meeting and decided to allow students and postgraduate students to continue to leave school until the end of February to avoid Covid-19 epidemic.

During the break, the university recommended its units to limit conferences and crowded gathering, while keeping hygiene in classrooms and working environment, as well as disinfecting dormitories and working rooms and providing instructions on epidemic preventive measures for officials, students, trainees and local people in places that the university’s units headquartered.