Over 1.7 million students in HCMC would go back to school next Monday after a three-and-a-half month break, and Hanoi has planned to do so as well.
However, schools would assemble their students in accordance with their grades, not all at the same time, said the municipal People’s Committee Tuesday.
The southern metropolis has over 87,000 ninth-graders who are about to take their high school entrance exams, and over 63,000 12th-graders who need to take their high school graduation exams. Over 135,000 students are at the city’s colleges and vocational training centers.
High school students and students of regular education and vocational training centers in Saigon would be provided three masks per month for a total of three months right after going back to school.
Meanwhile, Hanoi’s secondary and high school students are likely to return to school on May 4 as well, said Hanoi chairman Nguyen Duc Chung in a meeting with the Steering Committee for the Prevention and Control of Covid-19 Monday.
The return-to-school date for Hanoi’s kindergarteners and primary school students would be officially decided on Wednesday, he added.
Vietnamese students are typically given a two-week spring holiday and a three-month summer break. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, over 22 million students have been on a prolonged school break following the Lunar New Year holiday. This is the first time in history that Vietnamese students have had to take such a long spring break due to a pandemic.
In response, students and teachers have taken part in online lessons, the education ministry has cut short the curriculum and recognized online learning results.
With HCMC included, 60 out of 63 cities and provinces in Vietnam have decided when their schools would reopen, with most choosing between late April and early May. Hanoi, Ha Giang Province in northern Vietnam and Ben Tre Province in the south are the three who have not announced school resumption plans.
Vietnam eased social distancing restrictions from April 23, but people are still required to wear face masks and maintain minimum distance of one meter from each other in public places. Gatherings of more than 30 people in public places are forbidden.
Vietnam has confirmed 270 Covid-19 cases so far, of which 48 are active, including three in HCMC.
The last recorded cases were four days ago, and there has been no community transmission since April 16.
The pandemic has spread to 210 countries and territories and its reported death toll has crossed 211,900.
Source: Vnexpress