Transparency is needed in the admissions process.

The problem of school shortage is difficult to solve.

As reported by Dai Doan Ket Newspaper, last week, hundreds of parents surrounded Tay Mo 3 Primary School (Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi ) to request admission for their children and question the school's leadership and the Nam Tu Liem District Department of Education and Training about the school having already reached its enrollment quota before even completing the enrollment process.

Parents wait around Tay Mo 3 Primary School (Nam Tu Liem district, Hanoi) to apply for their children's enrollment. Photo by Quoc Thanh.

Many parents even stayed up all night on August 21st waiting for a clear answer from the school and the District Department of Education. Parents expressed their frustration because they lacked information about the separation of Tay Mo Primary School and the establishment and enrollment of Tay Mo 3 Primary School. With the new school year fast approaching, their children still don't know where they will study.

As of yesterday (August 27th), Nam Tu Liem district finally announced the plan for admitting students to four public primary schools in the area, including Tay Mo, Tay Mo 3, Dai Mo 3, and Ly Nam De.

Regarding Tay Mo 3 Primary School, the Department of Education and Training of Nam Tu Liem District informed that after the school separation, Tay Mo 3 Primary School has 30 classes with 1,111 students (21 students requested transfers, leaving 1,090 students). The school is currently not accepting more students due to inadequate facilities.

The incident occurred exactly one week after the Hanoi Department of Education and Training held its conference summarizing the 2023-2024 school year. At this conference, the Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, Tran The Cuong, informed that, in preparation for the 2024-2025 school year, schools had safely and effectively organized the enrollment process, overcoming the limitations and shortcomings in the examination and enrollment process of previous years, such as eliminating the phenomenon of queuing to submit enrollment applications or drawing lots to get into public schools...

This incident shows that the problem of overcrowded schools in the capital is unlikely to be resolved in the near future.

For a long time, the phenomenon of parents pushing and shoving to secure a place for their children has been recurring during enrollment seasons. Previously, in 2023, hundreds of parents had to queue overnight to register their children for first grade at Van Bao Primary School (Ha Dong district). In 2022, the incident where hundreds of parents had to draw lots to secure a place at Hoang Liet Kindergarten (Hoang Mai district) became a hot topic that received significant public attention.

At the high school level, the 2023 enrollment season also saw a phenomenon of parents scrambling to find private schools, queuing overnight, loitering, pushing, and arguing in front of some schools to submit enrollment applications for their children.

Improve the quality of education among schools.

Hanoi currently has a very large education system with 2,913 preschool and primary/secondary schools, nearly 2.3 million students, and almost 130,000 teachers. According to the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, with the current school network, Hanoi ensures sufficient school places for all students. School overcrowding only occurs locally in some densely populated areas.

Parents are awaiting a response from Tay Mo 3 Primary School and the Department of Education and Training of Nam Tu Liem District on August 21st. Photo by Quoc Thanh.

Currently, the average class size in primary schools across the city is only about 37.5 students per class. Reducing the number of students per class has always been a goal and solution for Hanoi's education sector to further improve the quality of education.

According to the Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, Tran The Cuong, the city's education system will continue to expand in the 2024-2025 school year, with more than 30 new schools across the city. The Hanoi education sector has identified its top priority for the new school year as reviewing and supplementing the development plan for the school network to ensure it meets the requirements of reforming general education.

In an interview with Dai Doan Ket Newspaper, Associate Professor Bui Thi An, a member of the 13th National Assembly , assessed that Hanoi has consistently prioritized investing resources in education. However, the capital city faces two challenges: a rapid and uncontrollable increase in the migrant population and a significant disparity in quality between schools in the inner city and the suburbs. These two shortcomings are among the main reasons for the overcrowding of schools in the capital.

Associate Professor Bui Thi An believes that this situation cannot be resolved overnight. First and foremost, the city needs a policy to improve the quality of all schools, from facilities to teaching staff. Only then will people stop flocking to schools they consider to be of high quality.

Regarding the case of Tay Mo 3 Primary School, Associate Professor Bui Thi An stated that while ensuring class sizes comply with regulations is necessary, the school must be clear and transparent in its enrollment process.

“The people’s demands are legitimate. They also have the right to demand that schools and local authorities be open and transparent throughout the entire enrollment process. Only then will people have greater confidence in education and share the burden of overcrowded schools in the capital,” Associate Professor Bui Thi An stated.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/tu-vu-phu-huynh-vay-truong-tieu-hoc-tay-mo-3-can-minh-bach-trong-tuyen-sinh-10288900.html