Thuc, an office worker in Phuc Tho, Hanoi, said her son was informed by his teachers that extra classes have been closed as requested by MOET. She is worried because her son is going to attend high school finals in several months.

Her daughter, an eighth grader, had three extra lessons a week at her school, but the classes stopped on February 14.

Since extra classes no longer exist, Thuc’s son has bought textbooks and registered for online teaching courses to prepare for high school finals. However, he is worried because he is unsure if self-study will suffice. 

Meanwhile, her daughter is not very good at school and always needs private tutoring, so she fears she will lag behind without extra lessons.

Previously, both children went to extra classes at the school run by their teachers, and attended private tutoring lessons in Maths, Literature and English elsewhere with tuition of VND50,000 per lesson (1.5-2 hours). Thuc spent VND1.6-2 million for each child’s extra classes.

Given Thuc and her husband's income from tailoring, this was a significant expense. Still, the thought of their children stopping extra classes made her uncomfortable.

"If they don't attend extra classes, I'm afraid they'll lag behind their peers and not perform well on exams,” Thuc said.

Thuc and other parents have asked teachers to resume extra classes to help students review for final school, but there has been no reply.

“The monitor teacher told us that she would report the parents’ proposal to the school headmaster and would inform us if she could get approval. If the headmaster says ‘no’, students will have to review for exam themselves."

Bich Hang, a parent in Ha Dong district, said all extra classes and afternoon daycare stopped on February 15.

"I still want my son to attend afternoon classes because it means he won't have to struggle with evening classes. If he stays at home in the afternoon, he may spend time on TV and the internet,” she said.

"Plus, with parents working standard office hours, it's inconvenient for kids to be home in the afternoons watching TV or exploring the internet," Hang said.

When Hang’s son was in sixth and seventh grade, he attended extra classes at school in the afternoon, and followed private classes outside school in the evening. 

Since the 8th grade, he has only attended extra school sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon, with tuition of VND9,000 per period. Other private tutoring lessons on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons cost VND80,000 each.

“The extra classes at school were voluntary. Now the teachers have stated that from February 15, all afternoon extra classes, daycare activities, and skill classes will be halted. Many parents feel worried. The curriculum is heavy and self-study is difficult for the kids," Hang said.

The mother said she has three kids, including the eldest now in eighth grade, the second in fourth grade, and the youngest in kindergarten.

“We cannot receive support from our parents, so it is always a headache for us to arrange time for children,” she said.

Other parents in Hanoi have also been informed about the cessation of extra classes.

Nhu Trang, a parent in Hoa iDuc district, said her son’s extra class stopped one week before the Tet holiday. A mother whose son is a high school student in HoanKiem district said all extra classes have been halted, but teachers are helping students review for high school finals without a fee.

Tran Thi Yen, headmaster of Van Quan Secondary School in HaDong, said he showed parents at the end-of-semester parent meeting all of MOET’s legal documents related to extra teaching and informed them that all new regulations must be strictly observed.

Dinh Vu, a physics teacher at a high school in Phuc Tho district, told VietNamNet that many parents have asked teachers to resume extra classes, but he has had to say no because of new regulations.

“In fact, many teachers are still running 'underground' tutoring, but that's very risky because if caught, they face disciplinary action and job suspension. Honestly, many teachers feel quite discouraged by the new regulations," Vu explained.

Hoang Linh