Vietnam’s Education Ministry Sets Limits on Rampant Private Tutoring

Deputy Education and Training Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong has stressed that schools and teachers must take responsibility for preventing students from being driven into mass extracurricular tutoring.

At a conference on March 28 on the enforcement of Circular 29, the new decree on additional teaching and tutoring, the deputy minister noted concerns over the continued prevalence of private tutoring in spite of years of efforts to suppress it. He noted that as far back as 1996, the Central Party Resolution No. 2, 8th Term, had flagged the problem. The resolution went on record: "Rampant tutoring wastes students' time and money, negatively affects their all-around development, and corrodes teacher-student relationships." It demanded a stop to the practice by the year 2000.

However, despite these directives, the problem has persisted, with many National Assembly deputies repeatedly raising concerns in parliamentary discussions over the years. “There are multiple causes,” Deputy Minister Thuong noted. “We’ve long been accustomed to the tradition of rote learning. Class sizes remain large, facilities inadequate. There’s the issue of achievement-driven pressure, parental disengagement, and a lack of strict oversight by school administrators and education managers.”

He cautioned against the ill effects of over-tutoring, asserting that it reduces the autonomy of students and their capacity for self-learning, encourages dependency on instructors, and taints the moral character of the teaching profession. Additionally, it harms the reputation of the education sector in the eyes of the public. Though recognizing that Circular 29 won't fully eliminate the problem, the deputy minister termed its issuance as a significant move toward regulating private tutoring.