How Will Vietnam Schools Open For 2020-21?
It’s back to school for many students worldwide this month. After the long summer holiday, Vietnam’s international schools will welcome students back onto campus this week with strict health and safety measures in place.
Internationally, schools are responding to the Covid-19 pandemic using various models of reopening depending on local infection rates. Some schools impose strict social distancing limits between students, while others allow them to mix freely. Some require all staff and students to wear masks, while others make this optional. And some schools are open to every student every day, while others will teach groups of students on alternate days. So, how is Vietnam bringing children back to school?
Vietnam was one of the first countries to reopen its schools – and schools across the country, including in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, reopened for classes from May 4 but in gradual phases. International schools including Renaissance International School Saigon (pictured above) are following strict health and safety measures. Now, as students return for the start of the 2020-21 academic year, WhichSchoolAdvisor answers all your questions on how schools will reopen, what to expect for the year ahead, and how Vietnam compares to other countries.
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How Will Schools Reopen?
Q. Will all staff and students be tested for Covid-19 ?
A: No, there is no mandatory test for staff and students.
Countries are taking different approaches to testing within schools. In the UK, for example, all schools and colleges will be provided with a small number of home testing kits for children or staff who develop symptoms while on campus; in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, all staff and students will be tested before being allowed into school for the start of term; and in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend universal testing of all students and staff in K-12 schools. Hong Kong is currently considering introducing mandatory testing for all children to allow it to reopen its schools, which currently remain closed until at least early September.
Q: How will social distancing work when schools reopen?
A: Campuses are typically places where students work around shared desks, children play tag in the playground, and young athletes tackle each other on the rugby pitch. Today, however, in Vietnam’s schools, students are required to keep one metre apart, desks are being spaced one metre apart and must be forward-facing; and there is a one-way system in the corridors to minimise contact. Nothing is the same as before, but throughout the period of distance learning teachers and students have already proved their ability to cope with change.
In a recent survey of teachers in the UK by TES, a hub for the teaching community, 47% said that their biggest concern about going back to school was social distancing. And it’s easy to understand why. While many international schools with large campuses have the advantage of space and larger faculties to facilitate rotating schedules and fitting as many children into a classroom as possible while keeping them 1m apart, they still face the challenges of making major structural changes to their teaching environment.
Students in all year groups can now return to campus daily, as long as they meet social distancing requirements. Most schools will keep groups of students within their own ‘protective bubble’, to avoid sharing resources and mixing with large groups of children. Timetables have been staggered to ensure that students do not all enter and leave school at the same time, and students are spending the majority of their school day within their home room or one classroom.
There is often no student food service on campus; instead, students should bring their own snacks and lunch from home. Tables in school canteens are limited to five students, with at least one-metre spacing between tables or groups.
In other parts of the world, the social distancing requirement varies between 1m and 2m. We’ve seen images of students in France playing in 'isolated squares' drawn in paint and chalk on the playground, and Chinese pupils wearing one-metre hats to practise social distancing in the classroom. In Denmark, early years students stay in small groups all day, in ‘protective bubbles’ rather than social distancing; micro-groups of children arrive at a separate time, eat their lunch separately, stay in their own zones in the playground and are taught by one teacher.
Q: Will students need to wear a face mask?
A: Yes, all students must wear either a face mask or face shield. Children and siblings under two years of age are not required to wear a mask. As anyone leaving their home is required to wear a mask or face shield, parents must remember to wear one for school drop-off and pick-up.
During PE lessons, students and PE teachers will not be required to wear masks when doing strenuous physical activities such as running and drills for warm-ups. They will have to put on their masks at other times. Also, face masks do not to be worn while eating and drinking but should be worn at all other times during recess.
As schools have opened worldwide, we have seen different approaches to wearing masks. In Taiwan and South Korea, among other countries, schools have fitted plastic barriers on students’ desks to create protective cubicles. In Germany, students are only required to wear masks in common areas. And in New Zealand, Denmark and Sweden, masks for students are not required at all.
Q: What should my child bring to school?
A: Students are advised to bring in their own water bottles to school, a mask (and a spare), and a pencil case filled with stationery to avoid needing to borrow equipment from their teachers or peers.
Q: Can schools teach PE and extra-curricular activities?
A: In PE lessons, games have been modified to ensure that there is no sharing of equipment; all equipment is cleaned/disinfected at the end of the lesson. Team sports and extra-curricular activities remain cancelled.
Q: Will field trips and assemblies still go ahead?
A: Many aspects of school that make it sociable and fun have been stripped back – the school assemblies, end of year plays, sports days, music events, and awards ceremonies. All school excursions and residential trips, including competitive sports with other schools, are currently cancelled until at least Term 2. .
Governments worldwide are being steered by guidelines – The Framework for Reopening Schools – for the safe reopening of schools issued by UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP and World Bank. This framework includes prohibiting activities that require large gatherings, which is advice that is being widely followed.
Q: How should students travel to and from school?
A: If your child is travelling to school on public transport, they must wear a mask, and safe distancing should be observed. If driving, many schools are asking all parents to drop their children at ‘kiss and go’ zones rather than escorting them onto campus and into class.
Worldwide, parents have been barred from entering school grounds, and told to wave goodbye to their children at the gate; in New Zealand, for example, parents remained at the school gate when their children returned to the classroom in May.
Q: Will my child need to have daily temperature checks?
A: All students must have a daily temperature check; students can only attend school if their temperature is below 37.6C/99.7F. Parents and helpers collecting their children must also have temperature checks taken before entering school grounds. Some schools have thermal cameras at the school gate to monitor temperature.
Children worldwide are starting their school day with a temperature check, which is widely considered a key tool in keeping on top of the Covid-19 pandemic as a fever is one of the early signs of the virus. Adding this new procedure to the school day may slow down children coming into school, but it could prove vital.
Q: What other health and safety precautions must be followed by schools?
A: At all schools, students are required to submit a health and travel declaration form before term starts.
Once on campus, students should not share stationery, there are hand sanitisers across campuses, and school premises are being regularly cleaned and disinfected. Water fountains may be switched off as a possible source of contamination, and students must bring their own water bottles to school; the number of students using the toilets at any one time is strictly regulated.
It is universally acknowledged that schools need to be disinfected everyday, there should be hand sanitisers around campuses, and students are encouraged to wash their hands frequently.
What To Expect For 2020-21
Q: Does my child have to attend school?
A: Parents are free to decide whether their child will attend an international school; however, there is no guarantee that all schools will continue to provide distance learning once campuses reopen.
Globally, it is more than likely to be mandatory for children attending local, government-run schools to return to campus. In the UK, for example, children must return to school once they reopen and the UK government has said that, “For the vast majority of children, the benefits of being back in school far outweigh the very low risk from coronavirus (COVID-19). And, even if private and international schools do offer the option of distance learning, this will only be a short-term solution.
Q: What happens if my child cannot attend school?
While the majority of students are able to be physically present on campus, others may not. Some schools in Vietnam are providing both online (for a short period of time) and at-school learning, to cater for students who may be delayed returning to school due to quarantine and travel restrictions.
While in most countries worldwide, students will not have the option to continue with online learning once schools reopen, there are some exceptions. In the UAE, for example, Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has requested all private schools to offer 100% distance learning provision for the new academic year to parents who request it. This will be temporary measure “intended to help ease parents and children into an eventual return to face-to-face learning”.
Q: What happens if there is a case of Covid-19 at my school?
A: Is there is a confirmed case of Covid-19 reported in a school, the school will isolate the individual student immediately and notify a public health official for further investigation, quarantine and treatment.
Q: What happens if the Covid-19 situation worsens?
A. If the situation changes, the Vietnam government may decide to close campuses again or enforce stricter social distancing measures. In this instance, many international schools have planned for various scenarios: to return to a distance learning programme or alternate remote learning with a modified on-campus learning model.
Q: Will the IB Diploma Programme exams still go ahead in November?
A: At this time, the November 2020 exams are scheduled to take place as planned. But this could change if school closures become widespread again due to new waves of Covid-19.
The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) says:
“However, as circumstances around the globe shift daily, we continue to monitor the situation closely. In the event that the exam session cannot take place, the IB will use procedures to ensure students can be assessed and awarded either the Diploma, Career-related Programme certificate or course results which reflect their standard of work.”
Q: Are schools open for tours and open days?
A: Prospective parents and visitors can only visit campuses out of school hours and an appointment must always be made; many schools are still offering virtual tours as well.
Will your child be starting a new school in August? How do you feel about the return to school for the new academic year?
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