Dialogue with residents after parents protest school merger

Residents held banners in front of the Triệu Sơn town People's Committee headquarters in Triệu Sơn district ( Thanh Hóa province) on the morning of March 28th to protest the school merger - Photo: CTV.

At the dialogue session, Mr. Pham Van Thuong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Trieu Son town, stated: "The merger of Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School with Le Van Tam Primary School is still in the planning stage; a proposal has not yet been developed. Trieu Son town has three primary schools, but only one secondary school, so the need to expand the secondary school is very urgent."

The local authorities, based on current state regulations, are seeking approval to merge the two aforementioned primary schools, in order to allocate the existing grounds and land of Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School to To Vinh Dien Secondary School.

However, many parents whose children are studying at Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School believe that the school is already stable. Transferring students from this school to Le Van Tam Primary School now would negatively impact their psychology.

Furthermore, if Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School is merged with Le Van Tam Primary School, which is about 2km apart, students in grades 1, 2, and 3 who are not yet able to ride bicycles independently will face difficulties in dropping off and picking up their children, as many parents work as factory workers and spend all day in the factory.

"We suggest that local leaders adopt a people-friendly approach. What is good should be done for the people, and what is not good should be avoided. We request that the higher authorities retain Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School so that students can attend school conveniently as they have always done," many parents requested at the dialogue session.

On March 28, a large number of residents of Trieu Son town participated in a dialogue with leaders of the Trieu Son District People's Committee (Thanh Hoa province) regarding school mergers - Photo by CTV.

Responding to parents' concerns, Mr. Le Quang Trung, Vice Chairman of the Trieu Son District People's Committee, stated: "The plan to merge Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School with Le Van Tam Primary School does not involve transferring all students to Le Van Tam Primary School. After agreeing on the merger plan, the District People's Committee will calculate how to make it most convenient for the people and students. If a child lives near Le Van Tam Primary School, they can register to study there."

According to Mr. Trung, although the merger plan is currently only seeking approval and has not yet been implemented, many parents have already displayed banners and gathered in large numbers, causing public disorder. "In addition, parents are not sending their children to school, affecting the students' learning. The district leaders are urging people to send their children to school as usual to ensure their right to education," Mr. Le Quang Trung added.

Mr. Pham Trong Dung, the principal of Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School, said that all professional teaching activities at the school are still taking place as usual, so parents should bring their children back to school as soon as possible.

However, on March 28th, only 139 out of 457 students at Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School attended school.

Local Party committees, authorities, mass organizations, school principals, and teachers are focusing on encouraging parents to send their children to school tomorrow, March 29th, to avoid any disadvantages for the students.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/doi-thoai-voi-nguoi-dan-sau-khi-phu-huynh-phan-doi-sap-nhap-truong-20240328183326504.htm