Hanoi cautiously reopens schools

Hanoi is considering a plan for students to return to school, with the priority given to the safety of students and the entire community.

Hanoi's first-grade students are learning online. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Since the city is home to the largest number of students in the country, up to over two million at all levels, learning conditions, as well as the evolution of Covid-19, vary among districts and towns. Therefore, the application of online teaching and learning in each locality achieved different results.

In Ba Vi District, some parents wanted their students to return to school soon, especially those whose children are in the first grade, the 9th grade that students will join an entrance exam to high school, and the 12th marks their high-school end before entering universities.

Khuat Thi Duyen residing in Ba Trai Commune said as the Covid-19 pandemic was still complicated, she tried to equip enough devices for her children to learn online in the 2021-2022 school year.

"With the efforts of both teachers and students, my children's online learning in the first weeks of the new school year was quite smooth and convenient," Duyen said.

However, face-to-face learning would be much more effective than online schooling, especially when the network connection is unstable for online studying in rural areas like Ba Vi District," she added.

In recent months, Ba Vi has not recorded any new locally-transmitted Covid-19 case, for which it is considered the "green zone" of the city. Huyen and other parents expected their children to return to school soon to ensure their skill development and in that way, parents also have a "new normal" life again.

Phung Ngoc Oanh, Head of the district’s Education and Training Department said the district's educational institutions have plans to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic, ready to welcome students back to school.

Parents living in districts of Soc Son, Me Linh, and Quoc Oai where no local infection case has been confirmed for many days, also had the same desire. They proposed to reopen schools for senior students first or arrange a class timetable to reduce the number of students at school.

Cautious reopening

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training has built scenarios for students to go back to school and submit them to the municipal People's Committee for approval. The đepartment has also drafted a set of criteria for assessing school safety and detailed instructions on pandemic prevention at school.

Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training Pham Xuan Tien said the department also wanted students to be able to return to school as soon as possible.

The disease situation in Hanoi has improved over the recent days with the number of coronavirus carriers detected in the community decreasing sharply. However, there are still potential risks due to the negligence of many people in preventing and controlling Covid-19. 

Being home to over two million students, ensuring the safety of the children is the city's top priority, according to the department.

Under the Hanoi authority’s directive, the Department of Education and Training, agencies and localities are required to build and roll out flexibly their 2021-2022 school year plan, creating favorable conditions for students to learn and complete the educational program as planned, ensuring the quality of education. 

The city’s sectors are both building solutions to restore their activities, including a plan to immunize people with the second dose of vaccine in the first half of November, then reopen schools.