VietNamNet Bridge - According to a recent policy, elementary and high-school students nationwide are entitled to a long Lunar New Year’s holiday (Tet) of 12 days. This is the first time this has occurred but while children are bucked up by the goods news, many working parents worry about finding services to look after their children while they are at work.

The new policy from the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) states that elementary and high-school students from now on will enjoy a shorter vacation, but a longer Tet holiday. The purpose of this new policy is to arrange holiday time for school children during their school year in a more reasonable way.  

For many educators, psychologists and parents, Tet is a time for family reunions where family members share concord and mutual love with each other.

If children can forget about their study load and share more time with their families on such an occasion, the psychology of happiness and of life satisfaction will, no doubt, benefit their emotional development in the long run.

The majority of people supported the MoET’s new policy, yet many parents are worried about appropriate places where their children can stay while they are working.

To ease the parents’ worries, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, Head of the Nursery Education Office of the HCMC Department of Education and Training said that for children of nursery schools, some teachers, especially single ones, who are not busy with their housework,  can take care of them  a few days before and after Tet holidays.

Thanh stressed that, boards of nursery schools can arrange some classes to be looked after by such teachers if a mutual agreement between the teachers and the children’s parents can be reached.

Mr. Le Ngoc Diep, Head of the Elementary Education Department, pointed out that such long holidays are really good for elementary school pupils, especially when they have just finished their final exams of the first term.  Diep said that thanks to the holiday, after Tet, the pupils and their teachers will start learning and teaching in high spirits.

Diep added that some parents, who are workers and businesspeople, however, suggested that schools organize special classes where pupils will learn less but play more until the official school term begins but this suggestion was not approved.

He asserted that to ensure a satisfactory Tet to teachers and pupils of elementary schools, no tuition class will be allowed to be organized during the holidays in accordance with the city People’s Committee’s regulations.

The Principal of the elite Tran Dai Nghia High School, Nguyen Bac Dung said. “It’s better to let students have a long Tet holiday as the atmosphere on the days near Tet always distracts students from their study anyway. The problem is many working parents can’t keep an eye on their children and will end up leaving their kids in the hand of private teachers”.

To help solve the parents’ problem, Mr. Dung suggested the MoET give general guidelines on a light study program suitable students on such an occasion, based on which each school will coordinate with parents to set up a program suitable for students of its own school. 

Dung also suggested that the Youth Communist Union at each school create a playground for students where fun, collective activities are organized to attract students’ participation.

Happiest are school kids whose parents have time for them.  Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, President of the Study Encouragement Association, said,” Many parents agree with the MoET’s new policies but they do feel insecure about leaving their children at home alone."

"Many friends of mine will send their kids to the countryside to stay with their grandparents, added Vinh, " I, myself will book a tour for the family. My kids are eager for holidays as we can travel together, find out and learn new things and share enjoyment together during the tour.”