Stating the proposed amount is incorrect.
On December 5th, social media was abuzz with a proposal from the Parents' Association of an 11th-grade class at Thang Long High School ( Hanoi ) for each student to contribute 800,000 VND to organize a cultural and artistic themed event.
The incident began with a post from a parent whose child is in 11th grade at this school. The parent stated that a few days ago, the class's Parent Committee had messaged the class group about collecting money for students to organize a 45-minute performance titled "Spring Offering to the Party" in early February 2025.
The announcement stated: "In order for the program to be organized on a large scale with the most reasonable time allocation for the children, ensuring they can both study and perform well in the first semester exams, the class's Parent Committee has invited the choreographer and class representatives to develop the program and plan for the children to practice gradually to keep up with the school's curriculum."
Due to the significant costs involved, the Parents' Association proposes that each student contribute an additional 800,000 VND. The Parents' Association hopes for the cooperation and support of all parents in this important event for their children. In addition to the required contributions, the Parents' Association appeals to benefactors to contribute more to support the activities, water, rehearsal space rental, etc., for the children. The Parents' Association also proposes that this collection be completed before December 5th.
Parents' comments, along with the aforementioned suggestions, posted on social media have attracted public attention. Some argue that charging 800,000 VND per student for a school performance is excessive and wasteful; such forms of "coercive" fundraising should be absolutely prohibited in schools.
Sharing about the incident, the Principal of Thang Long High School, Le Trung Tin, said that upon receiving the complaint, the school's management board worked with the homeroom teacher and the parents' association to clarify the information and confirmed that some parents of 11th-grade students wanted to create opportunities for their children to perform in well-invested costumes, helping them to leave a mark on their student life through arts and culture activities, and therefore proposed a fee, not forced them. However, in principle, specifying the proposed amount is incorrect; the spirit of voluntary contribution from parents should be adhered to.
According to the principal of Thang Long High School, the school will strictly instruct all classes to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
According to the tradition of Thang Long High School, each class has the opportunity to perform arts, singing, and drama in front of the entire school. The purpose of this activity is to help students connect, develop confidence and boldness in group activities, and unleash their potential. The entire process of rehearsal, choreography, and performance is initiated by each class. From the beginning of the school year, Thang Long High School has emphasized the spirit of organizing performances economically, without extravagance or ostentation, and encourages students to wear their uniforms during performances.
Avoid waste.
School cultural and artistic activities are healthy initiatives that provide a platform for students' holistic development, while also creating an atmosphere of excitement and enthusiasm within schools.
However, similar incidents to the one at Thang Long High School have occurred before, causing public outrage. Recently, in early November 2024, the Parent-Teacher Association of 8th grade students at Nguyen Chi Thanh Secondary School, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City, caused a stir when they shared an open letter along with a budget estimate for a cultural performance to celebrate Vietnamese Teachers' Day on November 20th at the school, totaling nearly 22 million VND.
The open letter from the Parents' Committee states that the folk song performance costs 10 million VND for choreography, 5.61 million VND for costume rental, and 6 million VND for food and drinks for the 10 students in the performing arts team, along with sports activities. The total cost for this performance is 21.61 million VND. The Parents' Committee hopes to receive the support, deep concern, and sharing of each parent in a constructive spirit, accompanying the class, so that the children can have meaningful recreational activities and expressions of gratitude…
After learning about the incident, the principal of Nguyen Chi Thanh Secondary School instructed teachers and the Parent-Teacher Association of the class to consider a suitable solution and not to solicit or collect such large sums of money from parents.
In October 2023, information also appeared on social media about the parent association of an 8th-grade class at Ha Huy Tap Secondary School (Vinh City, Nghe An province) collecting 700,000 VND per student to buy uniforms and fund a cultural performance. The school subsequently requested the class's parent representative committee to withdraw the notice and not proceed with the collection of money as it violated regulations and contradicted the school's directives.
While in the past, cultural performances were often staged by students, teachers, or parents themselves, nowadays, these performances are usually funded by hiring choreographers, costumes, props, etc., at a cost of millions of dong.
Investing in cultural performances is a matter of personal opinion; however, given the current economic difficulties, the estimated costs should not be wasteful, and it is absolutely crucial to avoid specifying a concrete, average amount to prevent unnecessary controversy and negative impacts on students' morale.
Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/de-xuat-thu-800-000-dong-hoc-sinh-tap-van-nghe-ban-phu-huynh-thu-sai-quy-dinh.html
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