{"id":3811,"date":"2020-08-24T18:11:28","date_gmt":"2020-08-24T10:11:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=3811"},"modified":"2020-09-14T23:02:35","modified_gmt":"2020-09-14T15:02:35","slug":"school-opening-ceremonies-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/school-opening-ceremonies-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnamese Students Might Have To Join School Opening Ceremonies From Home Due To COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vietnamese schools to host school opening ceremonies online\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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5th September<\/b> every year is a monumental day for every Vietnamese student. Not only does it mark the<\/span> official<\/b> beginning of a new school year,<\/b> but it also sees the long-anticipated reunion of classmates<\/a> after a 3-month summer holiday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, to abide by the government\u2019s social distancing measures to curb the COVID-19 spread, most Vietnamese students<\/a> will have to attend the ceremonies <\/span>from home<\/b> this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Schools in Vietnam\u2019s high-risk areas to host online school opening ceremonies\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"Vietnam
\nA new school year opening ceremony in a high school in Saigon
\n<\/i>Image credit: <\/span><\/i>Bao Giao Thong<\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Due to the complexity of the<\/span> COVID-19 outbreak<\/span><\/a>, Vietnam\u2019s Ministry of Education is coming up with different ways to host school opening ceremonies safely for students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because each school has hundreds to thousands of students, it\u2019s<\/span> impossible <\/b>to maintain <\/span>safe distancing measures<\/b> when all of them show up in the same place at the same time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vietnam
\nA new school year opening ceremony in Hanoi\u2019s Chu Van An School
\n<\/i>Image credit: <\/span><\/i>CAND<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cFor <\/span>high-risk areas<\/b> where it is compulsory to practice citywide social distancing measures, the students\u2019 safety must be of utmost<\/span> priority<\/b>,\u201d said <\/span>Mr Nguyen Xuan Thanh<\/span><\/a>, head of the High School Education Department.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He added, \u201cIn case when it\u2019s not safe for students and faculties to join physical school opening ceremonies, schools can consider <\/span>hosting the ceremonies online<\/b>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vietnam
\nWhat online attendance of new school year opening ceremonies might look like
\n<\/i>Image adapted from: <\/span><\/i>Ho\u00e0ng Anh Lee<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The online ceremonies can be <\/span>short<\/b> but still packed with <\/span>key activities<\/b> to make the day meaningful, such as welcome speeches from the deans and words of encouragement for both students and teachers.\u00a0<\/span>Students can participate by delivering their speeches or performances<\/strong> to their teachers and classmates from home.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City schools<\/a> are considering to scale down this year\u2019s event by allowing only class presidents to attend the ceremonies in person.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Vietnamese primary school teachers need support from parents in online teaching<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, most Vietnamese students will likely <\/span>go back to online learning <\/b>as the new school year begins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Online learning will cause a lot of inconvenience for students, especially 1st graders<\/strong> who have not mastered the fundamentals of math or the Vietnamese language.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vietnam
\nImage adapted from: <\/i>Giaoduc.net<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

Since primary school students require more individual attention to catch up on school, many primary teachers fear that<\/span> online learning<\/span><\/a> is not enough to close the <\/span>achievement gap<\/b> and help them catch up with the rest. <\/span>What works for one student might not work for all<\/b>, and it\u2019s not easy to help students who fall behind their peers through a computer screen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vietnam
\nImage credit: <\/i>Vi Thu Thao<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

Therefore, many teachers have called for <\/span>cooperation from parents in online learning<\/span><\/a>, such as <\/span>enforcing discipline<\/b> and making sure that they do their <\/span>homework<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While <\/span>online learning<\/b> has grown more popular in many Vietnamese schools since the first coronavirus wave, <\/span>teachers in remote areas<\/b> are not onboard with this learning solution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In remote areas where a majority of residents are from<\/span> lower-income backgrounds<\/b>, very few students can afford to have computers, smartphones, or Internet connections to access online learning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For this reason, continuing with education during the COVID-19 pandemic remains a <\/span>puzzle <\/b>for teachers and students in Vietnam\u2019s remote areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Vietnamese students might attend school opening ceremonies from home<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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With a daily rise in community cases, Vietnam is still at a <\/span>critical point<\/b> in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it\u2019s important that we go on with our daily life routines with safety precautions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not being able to attend school opening ceremonies may be disappointing for students because this meaningful event happens only once a year, but we should put public safety as<\/span> our number one priority.<\/b> As much as possible, we nevertheless hope that our students will hit the ground running with joy, motivation, and finish the new school year strong.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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