A secondary school student in the northern province of Ninh Bình connects to her teachers and classmates through an online learning platform. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Đức

HÀ NỘI — The curriculum will be streamlined in the second semester of the 2019-20 school year but will ensure students received fundamental knowledge.

This is one of the measures taken by the Ministry of Education and Training amid the long school closure due to COVID-19.

Students at most universities; pupils at high, secondary and primary schools; and children at kindergarten nationwide have been off school for almost eight weeks.

Due to the continuing threat of COVID-19, the exact date schools can reopen has not yet been decided.

The second semester of the 2019-20 school year started in January and normally ends in May.

Due to the long school closure, the school year will finish no later than July 15, according to a new plan by the education ministry.

According to Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Hữu Độ, the ministry will review and streamline the school curriculum to shorten learning time when students are back at school.

The streamlining will ensure that students are equipped with knowledge and develop their capacity to be able to meet criteria. The streamlining plan will be approved by the ministry, not by single schools, he said.

The ministry has also planned to strengthen online teaching and lessons on TV.

Localities and educational facilities must follow the ministry’s instructions to offer online training based on the streamlined curriculum.

The ministry also ordered verifying content of lessons to broadcast them on channels of the Vietnam Television.

The education ministry will work with the Ministry of Information and Communications to offer free technological platforms for online teaching, Độ said.

The school closure has interrupted learning of 12th graders who will sit for the national high school exam.

The ministry has set the exam date between August 8 and 11 instead of July.

To help 12th graders make the best preparations for the exam, the ministry will publish sample tests.

Deputy Minister Độ said the ministry would hold a meeting this week with local education departments to discuss these plans.

“The ministry always puts the safety and benefits of students, teachers and school staff as a top priority. Therefore, the school, students and parents should not be worried and actively co-ordinate with the education sector to fight against the pandemic and at the same time ensure learning and teaching quality in spite of the school closure,” he said. — VNS