School desks and chairs no longer suitable for students' physical condition: Waiting for new instructions

c ON BENT, PARENTS PITY!

In the new school year 2023 - 2024, many parents in Da Nang City have again raised their opinions to the school and management levels about the fact that their children have to sit with their backs bent to write because the size of the desks and chairs at school is not suitable for the height of the students. This is not a new problem, which has been mentioned by parents for many years but has not been resolved.

The current size of desks and chairs is "outdated" compared to the height of students.

Speaking with Thanh Nien reporter, Ms. NTTN (residing in Hai Chau District, Da Nang City), whose child is in 10th grade at Tran Phu High School (Da Nang City), said that her child confided in her parents that the desks and chairs at school are too low, causing back pain and neck and shoulder pain when having to bend over to write.

"My son is in 10th grade and is currently 1.75 m tall, but the desks and chairs are too low, which greatly affects his health. The boys in the class also have to bend over to write similar assignments. We have had many opinions about the size of the desks and chairs at school not being suitable for the height of the children, but it has not been resolved," said Ms. N.

Mr. NVĐ (residing in Hai Chau District) said that his son is studying in grade 12 at Tran Phu High School. Since grade 10, his son has been 1.8 m tall, so for the past 3 years of school, he has had to endure the situation of... bending over to study on a desk and chair that is too low.

Mr. D.'s eldest son graduated from high school last year, and his youngest son is in grade 12 at Tran Phu High School. After many years of monitoring, Mr. D. noticed that the school did not change the size of the desks and chairs. According to Mr. D., the next generation of children are now provided with adequate nutrition and regularly play sports , so they are much taller and bigger than previous generations. Therefore, the size of desks and chairs is "outdated" compared to today's high school students.

"I am 1.7 m tall. When I attend parent meetings, I feel tired after sitting for just 1 hour. How will the children endure sitting and studying for 3 years? Hunching over to study for long periods of time will cause illness for the children. I just want to give my opinion so that the authorities can conduct a survey and promptly change the size of the tables and chairs to suit the children in the future," Mr. D. wishes.

Parents complain about school desks and chairs being too low for students' height

"At the parent meeting, we had a very clear opinion, presenting real evidence that if parents are shorter than their children and cannot sit, the children's health will be greatly affected. The homeroom teacher and school leaders accepted the opinion and recorded it in the meeting minutes, but over the past few years, things have remained the same," said Mr. D.

Desks and chairs in schools are made according to the dimensions set by the Ministry of Education and Training for all provinces and cities. Up to now, there has been no change, so the Department of Education and Training has also sent its opinion to the Ministry of Education and Training and is waiting for instructions.

Mai Tan Linh, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Da Nang

"Have given comments to the Ministry of Education and Training"

On October 3, speaking with Thanh Nien reporter, Ms. Ho Thi Thao Nguyen, Vice Principal of Tran Phu High School (Da Nang City), confirmed that the information parents reported that desks and chairs were too low compared to the height of students was completely correct. This is an issue that parents have raised many opinions about in meetings. However, with the function of the school, when receiving parents' opinions about facilities, it sent a document to the Department of Education and Training.

According to the leader of Tran Phu High School, the school's students sit on separate tables and chairs, the chairs are 41 cm high, the tables are 69 cm high. "Most students today are quite tall, so the fact that the tables and chairs are too low for them is something everyone can see. When the school commented that the tables and chairs were too low for the students' height, a representative of the Department of Education and Training once instructed the school to temporarily attach additional table legs and higher chairs for the students to sit and study. However, after a short time, because the students were naughty, these additional wooden bases fell out, making it even more inconvenient," Ms. Nguyen informed.

According to the Vice Principal of Tran Phu High School, every year, the interdisciplinary forces of health andeducation at all levels coordinate to conduct medical examinations at schools. "The forces have surveyed the actual height and weight of students to come up with standards suitable for their health, however, the size of desks and chairs has not changed," said Ms. Nguyen.

On the afternoon of October 3, answering Thanh Nien , Mr. Mai Tan Linh, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Da Nang, said that 5-7 years ago, parents had complained about the size of desks and chairs according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Education and training are not suitable for students' height. The fact that students have difficulty and inconvenience when sitting on desks and chairs that are low compared to their height occurs in most high schools in Da Nang City. The Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Da Nang also said that the functional departments of the Department of Education and Training have listened to and collected opinions over the years and sent them to higher authorities, but are still waiting for instructions and adjustments.

Thanks to the benefactor who donated and replaced the "rolling" style tables and chairs

Mr. Dinh Tuan Anh, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Minh Hoa District (Quang Binh), said that there are currently 48 schools in the area with nearly 16,000 students, most of which meet the standards for desks and chairs set by the Ministry of Education and Training. "Because it is a mountainous area, we often encounter many difficulties, especially during the rainy season. However, every year, we are helped by philanthropists and charity groups, who donate many desks, chairs, and school supplies, and most of these desks and chairs meet the standards set by the Ministry," said Mr. Tuan.

In Le Thuy district, schools in the center meet 100% of the standards for desks and chairs, but some localities in the suburbs, mountainous areas, and coastal areas are still having difficulty in replacing them due to funding issues. These localities are currently being gradually supported by the district Department of Education and Training, along with the help of philanthropists.

Meanwhile, in Quang Tri, Ms. Le Thi Huong, Director of the Department of Education and Training, said that basically, the tables and chairs in schools in the province meet the size requirements of the Ministry of Education and Training, but some places are still using old, substandard tables and chairs due to difficult conditions. "We are currently mobilizing all resources to gradually replace tables and chairs in places that are not yet suitable. We will gradually do it in a "rolling" manner, replacing tables and chairs according to the standards of the Ministry of Education and Training," Ms. Huong said.

Nguyen Phuc - Ba Cuong

Single table and chair solution

According to Dr. Do Thanh Tai, Orthopedic Trauma specialist, head of the Karatedo Club of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, the solution that schools should apply is to let students sit at individual desks - one desk for each student, instead of 2-3 students sitting at one desk. At the same time, use desks with adjustable heights for the table and chairs, suitable for the physical condition of each student. These desks, when invested in, can be used for a long time, ten years, more than ten years, not just a day or two.

At the same time, school health, especially at primary and secondary levels, needs to promote its role, conduct regular check-ups, monitor the height and weight development of school students, and promptly make recommendations to change and adjust desks and chairs to suit the physical condition and height of students in the school.

Thuy Hang

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