The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) said primary and junior secondary graduation certification must be finished before July 15 with the national high school exam taking place from July 23 to 26.

The 10th grade enrolment must be before August 15.

The MoET asked provincial and municipal people’s committees to continue to keep a close watch on the COVID-19 outbreak situation, and strictly implement preventive measures.

The Ministry of Health and professional organisations should consider and decide to let students across the country come back to school on March 2.

If any locality wants to let students back to school later than this date, it still has to ensure the above schedule.

Hà Nội’s preparations

A medical worker sprays a classroom on Saturday at the Lương Thế Vinh Junior Secondary School in Đan Phượng District in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tùng

Classrooms must be sterilised every day before the students return and must have enough sterilising solution or soap.

Schools must also provide face masks for anyone who is coughing and has a high temperature.

Medical workers must be on duty all day to treat any problems.

Collective activities at school should be limited and food safety and hygiene must be ensured.

So far Hà Nội has not discovered any case of COVID-19 positive patients. All of 77 suspected cases tested negative to the disease, according to the municipal health department.

As many as 69 people are under close observation and are reportedly currently in a stable condition.

Government’s instruction

At the Government meeting on Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam who is also head of the national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control, asked schools, parents and students to cooperate in keeping a hygienic and safe school environment.

Speaking at the conference, deputy chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Lê Thanh Liêm said the city was a big urban centre with a great number of international exchange activities, but no cases of COVID-19 had been reported thanks to good preventive measures.

Schools and other organisations in the city followed instruction from the MoET and the Ministry of Health about sterilising classrooms and equipment.

Agreeing with Liêm, chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee Nguyễn Đức Chung also said that during the past, leaders and people in the capital city conducted preventive measures.

So far Hà Nội sterilised all schools four times, and would conduct measure once again before students come back to school.

Everything was ready for students to come back to class, Chung said.

Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam said COVID-19 prevention and control was not only a duty of the health sector, but also the entire political system and the people. It was not only a national issue, but also a global one, he added.

So far Việt Nam had well implemented education work and preventive measures so that all people could cooperate to stop the disease from spreading.

Deputy PM Đam emphasised the importance of keeping a close watch on students’ health when coming back to school, and asked for more connection between schools and families via the internet.

All cases of COVID-19 infection must be cured with caution while people must be kept not panic, he said. — VNS