The question is how schools will control their teachers’ private tutoring activities. 

Nguyen Boi Quynh, headmaster of Viet Duc High School in Hanoi, said under the current regulations, teachers have to report their private tutoring to headmasters. 

“This is a must for teachers; schools don’t have the responsibility of chasing after them to supervise their tutoring. In this case, school leaders need to receive information and reports from teachers,” she said. 

According to Quynh, it is difficult for schools to manage off-campus tutoring activities, so teachers have to report their tutoring to schools. Since the issuance of Circular 29, schools have been taking the responsibility of requesting teachers to strictly follow the rules and not give extra teaching to their students.

“I believe that if teachers want to tutor off-campus, they need to be well-versed and strong in their knowledge. The ministry does not forbid tutoring, nor does it 'tighten the grip'. If teachers tutor well, students from other schools will come to study,” Quynh said, adding that it is crucial for schools to explain to teachers about their responsibilities stipulated in Circular 29.

The headmaster of a high school in Hai Phong said to control teachers’ off-campus private tutoring activities, the school has requested teachers to commit to observe Circular 29.

He stressed that under the regulations, teachers just need to report their private tutoring to the headmasters of the schools where they work officially; headmasters don’t have the right to make a decision on allowing teachers to run extra classes.

Ho Tuan Anh, headmaster of Quynh Phuong Secondary School in Hoang Mai Town in Nghe An province, said Circular 29 consists of two provisions mentioning the responsibility that school headmasters have related to teachers’ off-campus private tutoring – managing and collaborating in the monitoring and inspecting of teachers involved in tutoring outside the school.

“Headmasters have the authority to request teachers to commit to observe Circular 29, and impose sanctions when agencies discover teachers’ violations,” Anh said.

The headmaster of a famous secondary school in Hanoi said controlling teachers’ private tutoring is a necessity because this helps to prevent wrongdoings related to extra teaching. 

Students have the right to refuse coercive private tutoring and teachers must not be allowed to force students to attend their extra classes.

He said that previously teachers had to seek permission from headmasters for extra teaching, but now they just have to report their extra teaching.

Thanh Hung