Students from seventh to twelfth grades in Hanoi’s districts, where have been identified as low and medium Covid-19 risks, will get back to their classes on February 8 after eight months of studying online, the municipal People’s Committee announced on January 24.

The decision was made following a proposal by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, which said that the pandemic in the city has been partly put under control while a majority of students have been vaccinated against Covid-19.

More than 98% of children aged 12-14 and 97% of those aged 15-17 in the capital city have got two doses of coronavirus vaccine.

The first lesson of twelfth graders in Viet Duc High School in Hanoi's in Hoan Kiem District on the first day of returning to school in early December 2021. They all wear face masks to prevent the Covid-19. Photo: Ngoc Tu

Authorities in Hanoi have required all students to stay home and switch to remote learning since May 4, 2021, due to the negative impact of the fourth virus wave that flared up in Vietnam in April.

On November 8 last year, in-person classes were resumed for about 4,000 ninth graders in Ba Vi District. Two weeks later, 9th graders in 17 districts and suburban towns also got back to school.

Around 40,000 twelfth graders in Hanoi resume offline learning last December 6. There are now some 64,000 students out of 2.2 million in the capital city studying at school, while the rest attend online classes.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh last week had requested cities and provinces to let students from 12 years old resume in-person classes as soon as possible after Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, especially in localities that have achieved a high vaccination coverage for children.

In an interview with The Hanoi Times, Director of the municipal Department of Education and Training Tran The Cuong said that the Steering Committees on Covid-19 Prevention and Control at district, ward, and town levels are authorized to adjust and suspend face-to-face learning if necessary.

“Results of the scheme will be reported to the Hanoi People’s Committee to serve as the foundation for designing a future roadmap on getting students back to school in a safe manner. A flexible combination of online and in-person learning will also be an option based on the pandemic evolution at each locality,” Cuong said.

Schools nationwide to reopen no later than February 14

The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), Ministry of Health (MoH) together with municipal and provincial authorities are determined to resume physical classes no later than February 14, said Deputy Minister of Education and Training Ngo Thi Minh.

Minh announced at a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam in Hanoi on January 24 that fourteen localities nationwide have so far allowed in-person learning, 30 others combined both online and offline schooling, and 19 others offered lessons online or via television.

As scheduled, on February 7, schools in 35 more localities will reopen, bringing the total to 49 while 14 others will follow suit on February 12.

Opinions at the meeting suggested the MoH issue a new guideline on the risk level of the Covid-19 pandemic so that localities could adopt suitable measures when physical classes resume.

Others said children aged 5-11 should be allowed to go to school without being vaccinated. The MoET and MoH should ask localities to prepare plans to deal with infections at schools.