73,000 twelfth grade students in Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon) are allowed to stay away from classes until March 15 instead of returning to school Monday amid rising coronavirus fears.
The latest announcement was made on Sunday night by authorities of the city in the context that the country has recorded 14 new infection cases over the past three days, raising the country’s total to 30. VNExpress reports.
On Friday, city authorities have approved the decision to allow all 12th graders to return to school on Monday while kindergarteners, students from first to eleventh grade and students at language, IT, tutoring and soft skill centers would continue to have their break extended until the end of next week.
Ho Chi Minh city, the biggest city in Vietnam, has nearly two million students from kindergarten to continuing education and vocational training colleges.
High school students, especially 12th graders, have greater pressure to keep up with their study plans as they will have a high school graduation exam this summer. The exam was held in June in previous years but has been rescheduled for July this year.
National high school exams are seen as a seminal event in the country, with success or failure having far-reaching impacts. The exams not only award a high-school certificate, but also decide admissions to universities and colleges.
As of Sunday, 40 provinces and cities around the country, including Hanoi have kept their students away from classes until the end of next week as the number of coronavirus cases in Vietnam has risen quickly.
Reporting by Manh Tung @ VNExpress