To combat excessive fees, not just on paper.

I prefer writing anonymously to asking questions directly.

Two weeks into the 2024-2025 school year, a parent group in Ho Chi Minh City with tens of thousands of followers has been buzzing with posts questioning various fees and expenses, the purchase of televisions and air conditioners, and the arrangement of voluntary subjects in the school timetable.

Parents are working together to create a civilized and happy school environment for their children.

Below these posts (mostly anonymously) are other comments from parents raising the issue: "Instead of just saying it here, why not discuss it in the class group or meet with the teachers at your child's school to ask directly and discuss it?" One person in this group also expressed: "I see many parents who don't say anything when asked for their opinions in class or at school, but then go online to write about it when they get home."

The principal of a junior high school in Binh Thanh District (Ho Chi Minh City) said he hopes to hear constructive feedback from teachers and parents regarding questions about the curriculum, fees, or any other issues at school so that he can promptly grasp the information and make changes or adjustments if there are any inconsistencies. "However, the suggestion box I put up outside the school gate usually doesn't receive any letters, only a few random notes from students. The email address I publicly post on the school website occasionally receives a few questions about enrollment, but I rarely receive letters from parents," he added.

THE HEAD OF THE UNIT HAS A VERY GREAT RESPONSIBILITY.

According to educator Nguyen Van Ngai, former Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, in recent years, the Department has provided very strict and decisive guidance and direction on the issue of revenue and expenditure, ensuring transparency in revenue and expenditure at each educational institution, combating excessive fees, and defining the responsibility of unit heads in preventing and levying unauthorized fees. The Ho Chi Minh City People's Council has issued a resolution regulating fees; the Ministry of Education and Training has also issued various circulars, such as Circular 55 on the Regulations of the Parent-Teacher Association; Circular 16 on Regulations on Sponsorship for Educational Institutions within the National Education System…

"I find all the documents, regulations, announcements, and guidelines from the education sector to be extremely easy to understand, specific, and detailed. Yet, why is it that every school year we see controversies about revenue and expenditure, with some places causing distress to students and parents regarding fees, to the point where many parents even say, 'Parent-teacher meetings at the beginning of the year are just to talk about collecting money'? In this matter, the biggest role and responsibility lies with the head of the institution – the school principal. As the head of an educational institution, when something happens, the principal cannot say, 'I don't fully understand the document,' 'I don't understand the regulations,' or 'I don't know, that fee was initiated by the parents of that class, I have no knowledge of it.' These are mere excuses," educator Nguyen Van Ngai stated frankly.

"As the head of the school, the principal has the responsibility to understand the documents, regulations, and directives from higher authorities in order to implement them in their school. During the implementation process, if the principal finds anything inappropriate or in need of adjustment, they should report it to the higher authority; but while waiting for guidance, the principal must still comply with the current laws and regulations. As the head of the unit and the overall manager of the school in all aspects, the principal must be a leader and a role model, bringing about positive results for the school while also building the reputation of the head of the unit," said Mr. Nguyen Van Ngai.

Mr. Ngai also hopes that the regular or unscheduled inspections by the leaders of the Department of Education and Training regarding revenue and expenditure in the new school year 2024-2025 will be effective. Any cases of deliberate violations leading to excessive fees must be dealt with severely.

"The handling of violations must be made public throughout the entire sector to both deter those who intentionally commit wrongdoing and to prevent similar violations from occurring in other educational institutions," Mr. Ngai stated.

Parents accompany their children in learning activities

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

We need voices of goodwill from parents.

Mr. NV, a parent of a student at a primary school in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, and also a teacher working at a public secondary school in Ho Chi Minh City, said that parents should not stand idly by to contribute to creating a happy and civilized learning environment for students.

"When I see something wrong in the classroom or school, as a parent, I choose to discuss, suggest, and share my concerns directly with the school. If the school and teachers are receptive and willing to change for the better, that's great; but if not, parents have more civilized channels to report issues, such as written documents, emails, or hotlines at the Department of Education and Training," Mr. V. said.

Mr. V. also believes that parents should not choose social media as the first channel to express their frustrations about their children's school, as this is not a good way to build a healthy learning environment, not to mention that unverified information spread on social media can have many harmful consequences.

The principal of a junior high school in Binh Thanh District said that currently, all schools have the responsibility and obligation to publicly disclose on their official websites all content required by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training. This includes the disclosure of financial income and expenditure (school revenue from the state budget; tuition fees; activities…; school expenses for salaries, income of teachers and staff, facilities…); fees and fee levels for students; tuition fee exemption and reduction policies; balances of various funds and other financial disclosure information as prescribed by law…

"Now that the school has made all the information public, we hope parents will take the time to carefully review the documents and content. To effectively support their children and work alongside the school in the process of educating, caring for, and nurturing students, parents also need to understand the specific characteristics of this educational level. We sincerely hope to receive constructive feedback from parents. We understand that parents may be hesitant to give feedback publicly during meetings, but parents can send their feedback to the homeroom teacher or the school administration through various channels such as mailboxes, emails, and text messages," the principal said.

At the same time, according to this person, homeroom teachers, as the bridge between parents and the school, need to have skillful, accurate, and timely ways of communicating and gathering information.

Contributions must be in line with the nature of voluntariness.

As the new school year begins, excessive fees are a major concern for parents. This practice has been causing negative consequences and damaging the reputation of the education sector.

Excessive fees stem from the provision of necessary facilities and equipment to support teaching and learning activities, but without ensuring transparency and openness, and without promoting democracy, such as restricting the rights of parents to participate in discussions and provide feedback on school fees.

Furthermore, voluntary contributions should be collected voluntarily by parents; they should not be required or forced to contribute a minimum or maximum amount. Many voluntary contributions are agreed upon in advance by the class's parent representative committee and announced to all parents, but many parents are voted on before they have a chance to express their opinions... In addition, some schools arbitrarily impose fees that do not directly serve the needs of students.

Therefore, the education sector needs to provide more decisive and strong guidance to rectify the situation of excessive fees; schools need to strengthen the promotion of democracy in discussing and agreeing on voluntary fees between the school, the parent-teacher association, and parents.

Do Van Nhan ( Kon Tum )

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/de-chong-lam-thu-khong-chi-tren-giay-185240916192108804.htm