Students of poor families in District 8 are given smartphones for distance learning (Photo: SGGP)
The school year 2021-2022 has passed more than two weeks, but still over 40,000 students in Ho Chi Minh City have not attended online classes. Therefore, local administrations have implemented many solutions to support students.
In early September 2021, according to a report by the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, more than 75,000 students have had difficulty in participating in classes on the internet because they can’t afford laptops, smartphones and internet fees. As of September 16, although many localities have assisted them, about 40,000 students can’t attend virtual classes.
In particular, Nguyen Van Hiep, Head of Education and Training Department in Hoc Mon outlying district with the most students who can’t attend the special classes, said the locality has called on civil servants, officials, Party members, benefactors to donate their used or spare smartphones or tablets, laptops, desktop computers to help students from poor, near-poor households and students orphaned by the Covid-19 epidemic attend remote learning.
Nguyen Thanh Thuy, Head of Education and Training Department of Go Vap outlying district, informed that by the end of last week, approximately 91.43 percent of students in the district can participate in online classes.
Duong Van Dan, Head of the Education and Training Department in District 8, said that more than 3,000 sets of textbooks have been given to students from poor and near-poor households. The district has so far called for philanthropists to donate 50 tablets and VND150 million to buy equipment for learners. However, around 2,407 students in the district can’t follow online classes.
According to Head of Education and Training Department in Binh Tan district Ngo Van Tuyen, some 2,800 primary and secondary students still do not have access to smartphones, laptops for online classes while many students are being treated for illness or in medical isolation facilities. Worse, 159 students have been orphaned by the Covid-19. The locality has mobilized benefactors, organizations and unions to support learning equipment, rice and necessities for the children...
Last weekend, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training in collaboration with Quang Trung Software Park and many banking partners, VNPT launched the program "School computers" to support learning equipment for teachers and students of low-income families.
Parents, students, teachers who need to buy learning equipment will be supported by banks with zero percent interest rate for 12-24 months. The program aims to provide tablets, laptops with built-in software, internet connection, digital learning materials which are designed specifically for teaching at this time.
Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training Nguyen Van Hieu also directed sub-departments of Education and Training in districts and Thu Duc City, principals of elementary, junior high, high schools and other educational institutions to check students’ condition including those whose parents were taken away in the latest coronavirus outbreak in the southern metropolis and disadvantaged students who can’t afford online learning resources and tools to provide timely assistance.
As scheduled, from now to the end of September 2021, the "School computers" program will provide about 8,000 learning devices for teachers and students. The program will continue to give about 44,000 other devices.
The Ministry of Education and Training in coordination with the Ministry of Information and Communications to launch the "Internet and computers for students" program to support online resources and tools for learners, teachers and educators in disadvantaged areas during the outbreak of Covid-19. The program has mobilized more than one million computers and free teaching software to support students.
