Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has assigned the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) to urgently implement a program to help Vietnamese students study online amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Students in many provinces and cities across the country entered the 2021-2022 academic year with online studying due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

While such a method needs computers or smartphones with internet access, many students from needy families, especially those in remote and mountainous areas, are unable to afford these devices or have no internet. 

In major cities, overloaded transmission lines in peak hours are making it difficult for students’ online schooling.

Tuong Vi, a student from Lomonosov Secondary School in Hanoi's inner district of Nam Tu Liem, begins the new academic year online. Photo: Nguyen Ngan

"Additional resources are required to assist disadvantaged students to have the necessary devices for online learning, which help ensure fairness for all in gaining access to new schooling methods, Prime Minister Chinh stressed.

"More than ever, the whole society and political system need to stand side-by-side and act together with the education sector for the future of the country and the children," Chinh added, while acknowledging the fact that students across the country have been facing various difficulties due to ongoing social distancing and lockdown measures.

The prime minister urged the educational sector to not let any child, especially those in pandemic-hit and remote areas to miss their opportunity to study due to the pandemic.

"Vietnam’s educational system must not fail to fulfill its commitments and missions amid the pandemic," Chinh added.

The priorities for the sector, Chinh said, should be to create breakthroughs in modernizing education and training methods, along with the development of high-quality human resources.

Earlier, on September 3, the Government leader issued Directive No.24/CT-TTg on accelerating measures for safe teaching and learning, ensuring the academic program and quality of education amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the Directive, Chinh asked the ministries, agencies, and localities to join hands and support students overcoming all difficulties for a successful academic year.