Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong has stated that it is the mission and responsibility of schools and teachers to ensure students are not compelled to attend extracurricular tutoring sessions en masse.

This message was delivered at a conference on the implementation of Circular 29 - the new regulation on supplementary teaching and tutoring - held on the afternoon of March 28.

The deputy minister recalled that as early as 1996, the Central Party Resolution No. 2, 8th Term had already raised concerns about widespread private tutoring. It noted: “Rampant tutoring wastes students' time and money, negatively impacts their holistic development, and undermines teacher-student relationships.” The resolution called for an end to this practice by the year 2000.

Despite these warnings, the issue has persisted. Over the years, many National Assembly deputies have continued to raise the matter in parliamentary sessions.

“There are multiple causes,” Deputy Minister Thuong said. “We’ve long been accustomed to the tradition of rote learning. Class sizes remain large, facilities inadequate. There’s the issue of achievement-driven pressure, parental disengagement, and a lack of strict oversight by school administrators and education managers.”

He added that the consequences of excessive tutoring are serious: it erodes students' independence and self-learning skills, fosters dependency on teachers, damages the integrity of the teaching profession, and tarnishes the image of the education sector.

While Circular 29 may not completely eliminate the problem, its introduction marks an important step toward curbing it.

In response to the proliferation of private tutoring centers and unlicensed teaching businesses, the deputy minister urged local authorities to “remain calm.” He emphasized, “Our goal is to prevent students from having to attend extra classes all over the place. This is the school’s mission, and that of every teacher.”

He called on schools to adopt comprehensive, synchronized measures. “Teachers must uphold self-respect and professional ethics. You cannot knowingly break the rules by offering unauthorized lessons. If a teacher visits a center and sees that it lacks proper lighting, safety standards, or fire prevention systems, they should refuse to teach there and advise students not to attend. The principle is to discourage students from seeking out-of-school tutoring by all means possible,” he said.

According to the deputy minister, many teachers previously viewed tutoring as merely an extension of their classroom work. Likewise, many parents have grown used to this practice, making tighter regulation a challenge. However, he declared that the situation has now “reached a red line.”

Ending unauthorized and excessive private tutoring is now a mandate from the education sector.

“This is a mandate born from a sense of responsibility to foster students' all-around development, to return education to its rightful principles, and to give students back their childhoods,” he stated.

Despite the obstacles, Deputy Minister Thuong affirmed that local authorities and schools must remain resolute and firm in enforcing the rules. “We must not be lax or compromise when it comes to illegal tutoring.”

Thuy Nga - Hoang Thanh