Ministry of Education and Training guides teaching 2 sessions per day for general education

This document aims to specify Directive No. 17/CT-TTg dated June 6, 2025 of the Prime Minister on organizing 2-session teaching/day and organizing summer activities for children and students; at the same time, specify the policy of fundamental innovation in education and training of the Party and State in the spirit of Resolution 29-NQ/TW.

Promote the quality of formal school hours

Directive 17/CT-TTg defines the goal of teaching 2 sessions/day as improving the quality of comprehensive education in ethics - intelligence - physical fitness - aesthetics, building a healthy, safe and beneficial educational environment, meeting the requirements of the new general education program. Teaching 2 sessions/day is also a requirement of the 2018 General Education Program (issued with Circular No. 32/2018/TT-BGD&DT dated December 26, 2018 of the Minister of Education and Training ).

Previously, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Official Dispatch No. 7291/BGD&DT-GDTrH dated November 1, 2010 on instructions for teaching 2 sessions/day for high schools to serve the implementation of the 2006 General Education Program.

However, up to now, the document is no longer suitable because the 2006 Program ended in the 2023-2024 school year. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training has developed and issued Official Dispatch No. 4567/BGD&DT-GDPT guiding the organization of teaching 2 sessions/day for general education, implemented from the 2025-2026 school year.

The issuance of a document guiding the organization of 2-session teaching/day aims to improve the quality of comprehensive educational activities in ethics - intelligence - physical fitness - aesthetics, including moral education, life values education, life skills, STEM/STEAM education, reading culture education, school culture, physical education, arts, financial education; developing foreign language skills, digital skills, artificial intelligence (AI) skills, aesthetic skills, etc. for students; forming awareness and lifelong learning habits.

The document was issued to improve the quality of regular school hours; overcome the situation of illegal extra teaching and learning; build a healthy and safe educational environment, and ensure fairness in access to education.

Effectively utilize existing teaching staff, facilities, and teaching equipment, contributing to innovation in teaching methods, testing, and evaluation towards developing students' capacity and qualities; promote socialization to develop education.

Ensuring scientific , flexible and comprehensive development of students

According to the guidance document, the Ministry of Education and Training requires that teaching 2 sessions/day must ensure the goal of effectively implementing the goals of the General Education Program, ensuring the duration of teaching subjects and organizing educational activities; not causing overload, suitable for students' psychology and health; ensuring the rights, meeting the needs and aspirations of students, suitable for the actual conditions of the school and locality;

At the same time, effectively implement the policy of socializing education to ensure the principles of voluntariness, publicity, transparency, non-coercion, and compliance with the law; effectively use facilities, teaching equipment and teaching staff, and promote the proactive and creative role of professional groups.

Teaching 2 sessions/day is clearly divided between session 1 and session 2 to ensure scientific, flexible and comprehensive development of students.

In which, session 1 is the time to implement the official General Education Program, including compulsory subjects and educational activities (for general education levels), elective subjects, selected subjects, advanced topics (for high school level) according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training. This is compulsory teaching content to ensure the requirements of the General Education Program.

Session 2 is the time to organize supplementary educational activities, develop capacity, nurture excellent students, tutor students who have not met the requirements of the General Education Program, life skills education, financial education, art education, physical education, STEM/STEAM, career guidance, artificial intelligence, foreign languages... in the direction of comprehensive development suitable for students' psychology at each level of education.

The organization of sessions 1 and 2 can be flexible in terms of time, balanced in terms of duration (not fixed in the morning as session 1 and afternoon as session 2), suitable to the conditions of each school. Encourage educational institutions to diversify teaching methods and organize educational activities to improve the quality of comprehensive education for students.

Ensures no overload for students, teachers and parents

To ensure the conditions for organizing and implementing 2-session teaching/day, the Department of Education and Training plays an important role in advising the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to coordinate teachers, invest in facilities, develop policies and mechanisms, and issue specific instructions.

The Departments of Education and Training guide general education institutions in the area to develop plans to organize teaching 2 sessions/day in accordance with the practical situation, ensuring a clear implementation roadmap and clearly mobilized resources (including financial resources, socialized education, human resources, including high-quality human resources such as artisans, artists, professional athletes, etc.).

Along with that, clearly guide the content and teaching methods, clearly define the responsibilities of the subjects, clearly define the results and quality of education; closely coordinate with local authorities and social forces in the area during the implementation process to achieve the highest efficiency. The arrangement of teachers and facilities must be based on local realities and conditions, ensuring that it does not overload students, teachers and parents.

Universities and research institutes with general schools shall guide their affiliated general education institutions to organize 2-session teaching/day in accordance with the provisions of this document and other relevant regulations; closely coordinate with local education management agencies during the deployment and implementation process; develop plans, make investments in facilities, teaching equipment and develop a team of teachers to meet the requirements of implementing 2-session teaching/day at affiliated general education institutions.

Also according to the guidance document, general education institutions are responsible for surveying students' learning needs in the second session before the start of the new school year to have a plan to organize educational content to meet students' learning needs and in accordance with the school's conditions; publicize the plan, content, and timetable for teaching 2 sessions/day to students, parents and on the school's information page.

Organize communication so that students, parents and social forces understand and agree with the implementation of Directive 17/CT-TTg and the regulations on teaching 2 sessions/day in this document; fulfill the responsibility to explain to management agencies and social forces when requested.

General education institutions are also required to develop lunch and break plans with content and forms suitable to actual conditions, ensuring the consensus and voluntariness of students and parents, and in accordance with regulations on school safety, food hygiene, and ensuring nutrition and health for students.

At the same time, implement the socialization of education according to the provisions of law, coordinate with universities, research institutions, vocational training institutions, enterprises, organizations, and individuals to participate in appropriate educational activities to support the organization of 2-session teaching/day to ensure practicality, efficiency, publicity, transparency, according to the provisions of law; mobilize experts, artisans, artists, professional athletes, etc. to organize educational activities suitable to local conditions.

The Ministry of Education and Training requests that localities synthesize opinions from professional groups and teachers, report on implementation status, propose solutions and make recommendations to higher-level education management agencies for timely guidance and support.

Basis for localities to prioritize and invest in educational facilities

Official dispatch guiding the organization of 2 sessions/day teaching for General Education in the 2025-2026 school year ensures updates when implementing the 2-level local government model.

In particular, instruct educational institutions to review the current status of facilities and teaching staff, determine funding needs to organize 2-session teaching/day, report to the People's Committees of communes, wards, and special zones (for primary and secondary schools), and the Department of Education and Training (for high schools) to have investment plans to ensure conditions for 2-session teaching/day.

The issued document also serves as a basis for localities, universities, and research institutes (with general schools) to proactively develop and perfect educational mechanisms within their authority; create conditions for general education institutions to diversify teaching and learning methods and organize educational activities, and mobilize the participation of social forces in educational activities to improve the quality of comprehensive education.

The content of the guidance on organizing 2 sessions/day for general education is also the basis for localities to prioritize and invest in educational facilities in remote areas, areas with difficult or especially difficult socio-economic conditions, border areas, and islands to implement equity in education.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/bo-gddt-huong-dan-day-hoc-2-buoi-tren-ngay-voi-giao-duc-pho-thong-post742860.html