Students attend online classes due to school closures induced by the COVID-19 resurgence in Viet Nam. —VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Cities and provinces across the country have announced plans for the resumption of in-person learning after the week-long Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday, as many have put off the scheduled return due on February 17 over COVID-19 concerns.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, Đà Nẵng City and 13 provinces, including Kiên Giang, Hà Tịnh, Bắc Kạn, Cà Mau, Đà Nẵng, Đắk Lắk, Khánh Hoà, Lâm Đồng, Nam Định, Nghệ An, Quảng Trị, Thừa Thiên-Huế, Tiền Giang and Lạng Sơn, decided to open schools on February 17, while Yên Bái will keep students home until February 19.

A total of 23 cities and provinces plan to re-open schools early next week. They include Quảng Nam, Hậu Giang, Bắc Ninh, Bến Tre, Bình Dương, Bình Phước, Bình Thuận, Hà Nam, Trà Vinh, Quảng Ngãi, Phú Thọ, Ninh Bình, Hoà Bình, Đắk Nông, Lai Châu, Vĩnh Long and Quảng Ninh, which will allow students to return to school on February 21. Meanwhile, students in Thanh Hoa, An Giang, Lao Cai, Quang Binh, Soc Trang and Bac Lieu will come back to school a day later.

Those in Hà Nội and HCM City alongside eight other localities – Tây Ninh, Đồng Nai, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, Phú Yên, Thái Nguyên, Bình Định, Điện Biên and Long An – will have their Tết holiday extended until February 28.

The remainder, including Sơn La, Thái Bình, Bắc Giang, Cần Thơ, Đồng Tháp, Hải Dương, Hải Phòng, Hưng Yên, Kon Tum, Ninh Thuận, Vĩnh Phúc, Cao Bằng, Tuyên Quang, Gia Lai and Hà Giang, will keep schools closed until further notice.

The Ministry of Education and Training has urged schools to shift to online teaching in order to keep students and teachers safe and allow them to catch up with this academic year’s curriculum.

Minister of Education and Training Phùng Xuân Nhạ stressed the need to increase awareness of online learning among students and ensure their safety online. — VNS