A classroom is being disinfected during students halting going to school due to COVID-19 outbreak in many cities and provinces across the country. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - University and school students from more than 30 cities andprovinces nationwide on May 10 entered the second week of online studying sincetheir schools were shut on May 4 due to the serious ongoing COVID-19outbreaks.
The northern provincesof Dien Bien and Bac Ninh, the central province of Quang Tri, the southerncity of Can Tho are the latest to announce school closures.
Many localities plan to re-open schools from May 10 but various schoolshave extended closures due to the complex developments of the pandemic in thecountry.
With students at home, education facilities organised disinfection of campuses,classrooms, learning tools and toys as well as assigning staff to be on dutydaily at schools.
The closure fell with exams on the way so many schools have been proactive withonline learning as well as flexible with testing and evaluation for students.Exam work has also been accelerated in many localities while some schools haveturned to online tests.
Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son on May 9 asked educationalinstitutions to adjust their plans, organise tests and assessments in line withthe local situation to ensure absolute safety for students, teachers andeducational administrators.
The minister also asked the leaders of educational establishments to strictlyimplement anti-pandemic regulations.
Directors of local education and training departments, heads of universities,colleges and institutes were asked to raise their sense of personalresponsibility, work with local governments to update the pandemic situationand develop plans, scenarios and solutions responding to any outbreaks.
According to Dr Nguyen Xuan Thanh, director of the Secondary EducationDepartment of the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), school principalswere allowed to decide on whether to hold online exams or not.
“Up to now, a number of localities and schools have implemented this form sothe schedule of ending the school year is still going according to plan,” saidThanh.
Meanwhile, according to Mai Van Trinh, director of MoET’s Quality ControlDepartment, regarding the high school graduation exam, with the pandemicoutbreak in many localities, the exam could be held at many different times.
The ministry will organise safe test places in localities that havenot imposed social distancing, including disinfection, masks anddisinfectants supplying, said Trinh.
At the test sites, there would be exam rooms arranged for candidates who havehad varying degrees of contact with COVID-19 patients.
In special cases, the ministry would work with localities to organise moreexams.
To implement this plan, the ministry had built an exam question bank to holdmany exams, said Trinh.
Students who are COVID-19 patients will get special consideration for automatichigh school graduation, he said.
This exemption is similar to other special cases such as accidents,illness, natural disasters and other unusual situations, so if they areunable to take the exam, candidates will be given special privileges, headded./.
VNA
