Official Dispatch 4726/BGDDT-GDTC 2021 on organizing the on-site teaching at education institutions

To: People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities

In implementing the Government’s Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP dated October 11, 2021, on “safe and flexible adaptation and effective control over the COVID-19 pandemic”; in order to ensure safety when organizing on-site education and training at education institutions in compliance with the COVID-19 pandemic development, after reaching an agreement with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Training requests provinces and centrally-run cities to promptly implement the following contents:

1. Directing to review conditions for students to study on-site at schools while ensuring safety at education institutions; prioritizing to give full doses of vaccines for managers, teachers, and serving staff. For schools that are requisitioned as concentrated quarantine establishments for the pandemic prevention and control, etc., it is necessary to promptly repair, complete, and disinfect them so that students can go back to schools; directing provincial-level Departments of Education and Training to review the status of schools’ teachers and staff after the outbreak; equipping more facilities upon the requirements for safe schools in the new situation.

2. The assessment, classification, and determination of pandemic risk levels by commune/ward level, district level, or provincial/municipal level shall be used as a basis for deciding on organizing the on-site teaching for early childhood education, general education, and continuing education according to the pandemic control situation in each area on the principles that students in areas where the pandemic is put under control may go back to schools. COVID-19 prevention and control measures shall be taken in a safe and effective manner as prescribed (Appendix 1). In which:

a) For level-1 and level-2 areas (low risk and medium risk): Organizing on-site teaching; consolidating conditions on information technology infrastructure, equipment, and means to be poised to transit to other teaching forms due to the complicated pandemic development.

a) For level-3 areas (high risk): Organizing on-site teaching in combination with online teaching and teaching by television. Based on actual conditions, localities shall decide on teaching plans applicable for every class or grade. For general education, on-site teaching shall be prioritized for the first grade, second grade, sixth grade, ninth grade, and twelfth grade, provided that appropriate distance is ensured according to the schools' facilities and safe conditions in pandemic prevention and control.

c) For level-4 areas (very high risk): Online teaching, teaching by television, and self-learning with homework, etc. shall be organized based on the actual situation and the implementation progress of the school year plan in localities. For early childhood education and general education, teachers shall guide student parents to assist and support their children to learn and play at home according to appropriate forms; coordinate with student parents to guide students to use equipment serving the online learning and learning by television effectively and safely.

3. Guiding higher education institutions and teachers’ training colleges in level-1 and level-2 areas to organize on-site teaching if they fully satisfy requirements for safe COVID-19 prevention and control (Appendix 2). In level-3 and level-4 areas, training institutions may continue to organize online teaching or combine online and on-site teaching, depending on the schools’ specific plans as approved by the provincial-level People’s Committee.

4. Directing the education sector to coordinate with the health sector in organizing the vaccination for students under the Ministry of Health's instructions (the Official Dispatch No. 8688/BYT-DP dated October 14, 2021); effectively educating and disseminating knowledge about healthcare, pandemic prevention and control for officers, teachers, and student parents; closely coordinating with student families in monitoring and managing students' health status to prevent and early detect suspected cases for timely handling (according to the guidelines provided in the Official Dispatch No. 1398/BGDDT-GDTC   dated April 23, 2020, of the Ministry of Education and Training, and the Official Dispatch No. 1244/BYT-MT dated March 13, 2020, of the Ministry of Health); assigning local health establishments to coordinate with education institutions in developing plans for pandemic prevention and handling of circumstances in a timely and effective manner.

Sincerely./.

For the Minister

The Deputy Minister

NGO THI MINH

* All Appendices are not translated herein.