A high school student in HCM City participates in online studies. Photo sggp.org.vn

HCM CITY — Schools in HCM City will reopen for in-person learning in the second semester of the academic year that begins in January amid declining COVID-19 infection cases and hospitalisations, according to the city’s Department of Education and Training.

Schools in the city have been fully online since the beginning of the new school year as part of an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

With more than 1.3 million students taking online classes, it is a tough task for the city’s educational sector, Nguyễn Văn Hiếu, director of the department told a meeting on Thursday.

The participation rate of online learning at primary education level stands at 97 per cent, and 99 per cent for secondary and high school education levels.

More than 30,000 students have not returned to the city after being sent back to their hometowns in different localities across the country after school closures. 

Of that figure, more than 5,000 students have missed out on online learning due to lack of electronic devices, and the remaining 26,000 students have attended online classes.

More than 1,500 educational establishments in the city have been used as concentrated quarantine facilities and field hospitals. They will be closed in the middle of next month.

Schools will be sanitised and essential preparations will be made to ensure a clean and safe school environment prior to reopening.

The Cần Giờ District People’s Committee wants the department to reopen two schools in the island commune of Thạnh An next week.

A total of 242 students in the first, second, sixth, ninth and 12th grades and 60 teachers are expected to attend in-person classes if the proposal is approved.

A total of 1.71 million students of all grades are studying at more than 2,400 schools in HCM City.

The first semester is slated to end by mid-January for secondary and high schools, and primary schools will complete their first semester one week later. — VNS