PM urges early physical school resumption after Tet holiday

The Prime Minister assigned the MoET and the Ministry of Health to immediately hold a national video-teleconference to collect comments of experts, scientists, and localities in order to craft a specific roadmap on school reopening, and report outcomes to Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam. 

The two ministries are responsible for providing instructions for localities to reopen physical schools for over 12-year-old learners after the Tet holiday especially those with high vaccination rate among the group of 12-17 year-old people. 

The MoH was tasked to organize a scientific workshop to collect feedback and experience of other countries and the World Health Organization on vaccination rollout for 5-11 year-old children.

As of January 18, over 14.7 million doses of vaccines had been administered to people aged between 12-17 across the country and more than 6.6 million of them have received two doses.For now, 36 out of 63 provinces and cities have immunized children from 12 with two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City.

Since last April, when the fourth wave of the virus broke out in the country, schools and education institutes have been shut down in the pandemic-hit areas and learning activities have been moved to online platforms.

Millions of students spent their summer break at home as more than half of the country practiced social distancing. In hard-hit localities, schools have been converted into quarantine facilities and field hospitals.

In the 2021-2022 academic year, about 23 million Vietnamese students have started the new school year, most of them in virtual classrooms. 

Localities across the country have made adjustments to the teaching model, moving from online to offline and vice versa, depending on the development of the pandemic in each locality.

"Education disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are preventing children from getting their education off to the best possible start,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. In Viet Nam, for example, an estimated 4.4 million Vietnamese preschool children saw their learning interrupted due to COVID-19.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the entire society including the educational sector. Face-to-face school closure has badly affected thought and psychology of teachers, children, pupils, and students./.