Unlike many other provinces and cities across Viet Nam, Da Nang students have gone back to school for face-to-face classes on schedule following the week-long Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) break. All of the educational establishments from pre-school to senior high school levels have put the safety of their teaching staff and pupil first by taking a series of compulsory measures against COVID-19 in a strict manner due to a fresh wave of local infections hitting the country since 27 January, 2021. Member schools of the University of Da Nang (UDN), however, have decided to halt resumption of in-person learning, and applying online teaching and learning methods instead.

Pupils at Luong The Vinh Junior High School are seen having their body temperature measured at the entrance gate.

Strict practice of COVID-19 precautionary regulations at schools

Before pupils returned to school after Tet breaks, the Da Nang Department of Education and Training had required all schools from pre-school to senior high school levels to conduct cleanups, with a heed to disinfecting pupils’ personal belongings, and teaching aids, plus many commonly-touched surfaces such as desks, blackboards and stairs. Also, bottles of alcohol-based hand sanitizer have been available for pupils.

On the first day back to school after Tet breaks (17 February), all school pupils in Da Nang were required to wear face masks and wash their hands with sanitizer gel, along with undergo compulsory body temperature measurements at the entrance gates, and keep a safe distance from other peers in line with the coronavirus prevention guidance mandated by Vietnamese Ministry of Health.

Mr Vo Thanh Phuoc, Principal of the Nguyen Hue Junior High School, said, before Tet, the school’s managing board had encouraged teachers and pupils’ families to limit their return to their hometowns for this especial occasion.

After Tet, teachers collected all information on their pupils and their family members, especially about where they stayed and visited during Tet.

If any parents return to their hometowns, especially in coronavirus-stricken locales, they should promptly notify the school’s managing board for intervention measures. All pupils were encourage not to gather and socialise in big groups upon leaving school grounds, and advise against crowding during school pick-up or day care was also released. 

Meanwhile, the Phan Chau Trinh Senior High School has applied precautionary measures against the deadly virus, and particularly, restricting parents from entering the school yard if not necessary.

E-learning and teaching methods applied at higher education institutions

On 22 February, all UDN students across the city started doing online learning at home until further notice. (Photo taken at the Da Nang University of Foreign Language Studies)

Unlike secondary education, member tertiary establishments under the UDN are developing plans with the proactive shift from face-to-face to the e-teaching method, an initiative move to ensure both pandemic prevention measures whilst quarantining the progress of their education programmes in light of the complicated coronavirus pandemic raging in some Vietnamese localities.

In fact, a large number students of these schools hail from other localities across Viet Nam, and many of them returned to their hometowns during Tet breaks.

Accordingly, today (22 February), all UDN students across the city started doing online learning at home until further notice. The schools are ordered to continue offering lessons online where applicable, in line with the curriculum.

In particular, students have smooth access to online learning resources, including the application of learning software, the provision of teachers and exercises to learners, and the reception of feedback from them via websites, Eail, Facebook, Zalo, Viber or other social network tools.

In fact, through these online teaching and learning resources, both teachers and students still enjoy flexible connections.  Also, they can interact with each other and access unlimited resources. In particular, teachers can create as many lessons as they want on online learning applications.

According to UDN Director Assoc. Prof. PhD. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, all UDN managerial and teaching staff and students are required to exceptionally vigilant and highly alert against the deadly coronavirus.

For the time being, the strict practice of the Health Ministry-mandated 5K (in Vietnamese) motto: namely ‘Khau trang’ (Face mask) – ‘Khu khuan’ (Disinfection) – ‘Khoang cach’ ‘Distance’ - ‘Khong tu tap’ (No gatherings) – ‘Khai bao y te’ (Health Declaration) in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus is being observed well at all UDN’s member schools.

By NGOC PHU – Translated by A.T