Children on their first day to go to school for the academic year of 2021-22 at the Hoa Phượng Đỏ Kindergarten in Rạch Giá City, the southern province of Kiên Giang. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

HÀ NỘI — Nine out of 63 provinces and cities in the country have not issued plans to bring preschool children to school due to COVID-19, said the Ministry of Education and Training on Tuesday.

They are Hậu Giang, Trà Vinh, Hưng Yên, Vĩnh Long, Hà Nội, Phú Yên, Đà Nẵng, An Giang and Tiến Giang.

Children in the remaining provinces and cities returned to school this month.

At the primary education level, 59 out of 63 provinces and cities allowed students to return.

Hưng Yên northern province only allows grade 1 students back to school, while Vĩnh Long southern province only allows fifth graders and Hà Nội only allows students in 18 suburban districts to return for learning in person.

Four provinces and cities do not allow primary students to return to school: Hậu Giang, An Giang, Đà Nẵng and Tiền Giang.

At the junior secondary level, all provinces and cities across the country have let students return to school, except for Vĩnh Long Province which only lets sixth and ninth graders return.

At the high school level, all provinces and cities have let students return.

All universities have plans for in-person learning.

The amount of students learning in-person is 93.7 per cent, which for preschool children is 86.7 per cent, primary students 93.6 per cent, and junior secondary students and high school students at 94.4 and 99 per cent, respectively.

It’s planned that 60 provinces and cities will let preschool children back to school from February 21.

The three remaining provinces and cities of Đà Nẵng, An Giang and Tiền Giang also plan to have students return to school this month, but have not set an exact date.

All provincial and municipal departments of education and training developed and implemented safety criteria for students returning to school. They have made flexible and safe teaching plans for students depending on the pandemic situation.

Schools must prepare, clean and disinfect facilities to be ready to welcome students to school. — VNS