Not all extra courses are necessary and effective.

(Dan Tri) - Experts say that spending money on education does not match investment and efficiency.

Of the 12,428 parents surveyed by Dan Tri newspaper, nearly 4,300 people spent from 2-5 million VND/month on extra classes for 1 child, accounting for 35%.

This means that if they have 2 children, the amount of money that 4,300 families have to spend on extra classes is about 4-10 million VND/month.

Spending level from 5-8 million VND/month/child has 1,626 families, accounting for 13%. Meanwhile, spending level over 8 million VND/month/child has 1,103 families, accounting for 9%.

Many parents in the group spending 5 million VND or more on their children's extra classes each month said this amount accounts for about 25-35% of family expenses.

The more common spending level is under 2 million VND/month, accounting for 29%.

At the same time, 1,800 people, equivalent to 14%, said they did not spend a single penny on their children's extra classes.

Amount of money invested in extra classes by more than 12,000 families participating in the survey (Chart: Hoang Hong).

According to the Fiin Group's education spending report released earlier this year, 47% of household spending in major cities is on education.

During the 2017-2022 period, Vietnamese households' spending on education increased by about 7%.

The main increase was in spending on foreign languages, entrance exams and extracurricular activities.

In addition, there is a significant shift of students from the public sector to the private sector.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Van Anh (Cau Giay, Hanoi ) calculated that in the past 5 years, the amount of money her family spent on education doubled as her children grew up.

5 years ago, Ms. Van Anh's 2 children studied in grades 1 and 4 at public schools, the monthly tuition at school was about 4.5 million VND, including tuition, boarding fees, English tuition and associated classes. The tuition for extra English lessons at the center was about 2.5 million VND/month.

This year, her children are in grades 6 and 9. The monthly tuition at school has not changed, but the tuition for extra classes has increased sharply, with more than 3 million VND for the younger child and more than 8 million VND for the older child. The total tuition is 15 million VND, an increase of 114%.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang (Long Bien, Hanoi) also gave a similar number.

"Any family whose child is taking the transfer exam will have to pay double the usual tuition fee.

To be able to win a place in grade 6 at a prestigious school or pass the entrance exam to grade 10 of a public school, children have to attend extra classes almost every week. Families that do not have good financial conditions will have to cut the tuition fees of other children to focus on the child who is studying for the transfer exam. A year ago, my family had to do the same," Ms. Hang said from personal experience.

Students taking the 10th grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: Nam Anh).

Mr. Bui Khanh Nguyen - independent education expert - commented that parents' willingness to invest in education is a positive signal.

"When resources are limited, investing in education will lead to sacrifice or limit investment in other family needs. However, parents' willingness to sacrifice shows their correct awareness of the role of education in human development, demonstrating a spirit of learning, as well as a vision for a sustainable future," said Mr. Nguyen.

However, Mr. Nguyen affirmed that spending money on education does not always mean investing in education, and does not coincide with effective investment.

"Investing properly in education requires many factors. In addition to determining an accurate goal and finding suitable options for the situation, parents must also invest in the contextual conditions surrounding the child, invest in a healthy environment, invest in suitable school options, teachers, facilities... to turn goals into results.

Not every extra course is necessary, and not every convenient class is a quality class.

Therefore, parents need to spend a lot of time and effort to find the right quality addresses that suit their children's needs, goals and potential," the education expert shared.

Mr. Nguyen also said it is difficult to assess how much investment in education is appropriate, because each parent has different goals and circumstances.

This also leads to the inability to evaluate whether the way parents spend money on extra classes for their children is right or wrong, because it must be considered based on the needs and goals of each family and each student.

"If parents have limited finances, they should take advantage of the public school system to get free or low-cost education. If they have more financial resources, parents can think of private schools where educational services are provided according to demand," the consultant advised.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/khong-phai-khoa-hoc-them-nao-cung-can-thiet-va-hieu-qua-20241103073928863.htm