Students will be back to school in early September after a shorter summer break than normal. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The new school term will start on September 1 and the new school year opening ceremony could be held online, Nguyễn Xuân Thành, director of the Ministry of Education and Training's Department of Secondary Education.

The date has been set in more than 22 provinces and cities nationwide, following a shorter summer holiday than in the past due to the prolonged school closures of the 2019-20 academic year because of COVID-19.

In HCM City, children at kindergartens will go back to school on September 5. Students at primary, secondary and high school will be back on the first day of the month.

The city Department of Education and Training has been given authority to allow students to take days off in case of severe weather conditions or diseases and make up time later in the school year.

Students in northern Quảng Ninh Province will go to school on September 3.

Other localities like Bình Phước, Cao Bằng, Đồng Tháp, Hà Nam, Hải Phòng, Hòa Bình, Hà Giang, Lào Cai, Bình Thuận, Thanh Hóa, Sơn La set the school reopening date for September 1.

The dates may be changed depending on COVID-19 developments in each area.

Kindergartens, primary, secondary and high schools nationwide will organise the 2020-21 school year opening ceremony on September 5. The date is the same for further education centres.

Hà Thanh Quốc, director of the Education and Training Department of central Quảng Nam Province, one of biggest COVID-19 hot spots now in Việt Nam, said students are set to go back to school on September 1.

He said the health and safety of students are top priority so the plan may be changed. If the outbreak is contained, the new school year ceremony will be held on September 5.

Some private schools in Hà Nội planned to reopen in middle of August but have delayed until early September.

Associate Professor Thành from the Ministry of Education and Training said the ministry had prepared for all eventualities.

Depending on the pandemic’s developments in each locality, local authorities should be flexible in organising the school opening ceremony. They can even organise the event online.

The school curriculum will be shortened from 37 weeks to 35 weeks with the next school year set to end before May 31, 2021. — VNS