The new coronavirus outbreak has prompted authorities to grant one more week off starting Monday to students in Hanoi from kindergarten to high school grades. The municipal People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung said at a meeting Friday.
Some school leaders said the well-being of students was now the top priority, and a week off will not largely affect the study schedule.
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Last week, Ho Chi Minh People’s Committee said it will propose to the government and the Ministry of Education and Training that the break is extended to the end of March, and the schedule for the 2019-2020 school year gets adjusted to have students attend classes from April to July, break during August, then return in September as usual.
“The decision is based on the city’s assessment of the epidemic, which has developed in an unpredictable and complicated manner. The health and lives of people is our top priority,” said Tu Luong, deputy head of the HCMC Department of Information and Communications.
Most provinces and cities in Vietnam previously decided to let students stay home to prevent the viral infection.