A classroom is being disinfected during students halting going to school due to COVID-19 outbreak in many cities and provinces across the country. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tùng

HÀ NỘI — University and school students from more than 30 cities and provinces nationwide on Monday entered the second week of online studying since their schools were shut on May 4 due to the serious ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks.

The northern provinces of Điện Biên and Bắc Ninh, central province of Quảng Trị, the southern province of Cần Thơ, are the latest to announce school closures.

Many localities plan to re-open schools from May 10 but various schools have extended closures due to the complex developments of the pandemic in the country.

With students at home, education facilities organised disinfection of campuses, classrooms, learning tools and toys as well as assigning staff to be on duty daily at schools.

The closure fell with exams on the way so many schools have been proactive with online learning as well as flexible with testing and evaluation for students. Exam work has also been accelerated in many localities while some schools have turned to online tests.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Kim Sơn on Sunday asked educational institutions to adjust their plans, organise tests and assessments in line with the local situation to ensure absolute safety for students, teachers and educational administrators.

The minister also asked the leaders of educational establishments to strictly implement pandemic regulations.

Directors of local education and training departments, heads of universities, colleges and institutes were asked to raise their sense of personal responsibility, work with local governments to update the pandemic situation and develop plans, scenarios and solutions responding to any outbreaks.

According to Dr Nguyễn Xuân Thành, director of the Secondary Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), school principals were allowed to decide on whether to hold online exams or not.

“Up to now, a number of localities and schools have implemented this form so the schedule of ending the school year is still going according to plan,” said Thành.

Meanwhile, according to Mai Văn Trinh, director of MoET’s Quality Control Department, regarding the high school graduation exam, with the pandemic outbreak in many localities, the exam could be held at many different times.

The ministry will organise safe test places in localities that have not imposed social distancing, including disinfection, masks and disinfectants supplying, said Trinh.

At the test sites, there would be exam rooms arranged for candidates who have had varying degrees of contact with COVID-19 patients.

In special cases, the ministry would work with localities to organise more exams.

To implement this plan, the ministry had built an exam question bank to hold many exams, said Trinh.

Students who are COVID-19 patients will get special consideration for automatic high school graduation, he said.

This exemption is similar to other special cases such as accidents, illness, natural disasters and other unusual situations, so if they are unable to take the exam, candidates will be given special privileges, he added. — VNS