In Ho Chi Minh City, Phan Van Tri Primary School (District 1) and Nguyen Van Luong Secondary School (District 6) are two schools that have announced they will not accept flowers or gifts for the school's management board, teachers, and staff on the occasion of November 20th.
Recently, open letters from Phan Van Tri Primary School (District 1) and Nguyen Van Luong Secondary School (District 6) regarding the refusal of flowers and gifts for school administrators, teachers, and staff, or the exchange of flowers for gifts for students on November 20th, have created a significant impact on society. While the majority of opinions agree with this, some argue that parents and students should not be prohibited from expressing their gratitude to their teachers.
Exchange flowers for notebooks, milk, and sports equipment for students.
Recently, Phan Van Tri Primary School (District 1) sent an open letter to philanthropists, businesses, and organizations. In the letter, the school expressed its wish that instead of giving flowers, businesses and organizations would donate notebooks, milk, and sports equipment so that the school could reward its students.
An open letter from Phan Van Tri Primary School (District 1) expresses a desire to exchange flowers for teachers for notebooks, milk, and sports equipment for students. (Photo: The school)
Speaking to Dan Viet, Mr. Le Hong Thai, Principal of Phan Van Tri Primary School, expressed: "Flowers are beautiful, but they will wither. Every year, when I replace the flowers after November 20th, I feel sorry seeing them thrown into the trash. I just think that instead of receiving flowers, we should ask for notebooks, milk, and sports equipment to serve the school's sports festival and competitions in November."
Mr. Thai confided that it's unfair to the children when they only receive one prize after a whole month of exams. However, relying solely on the school's funds is insufficient because Phan Van Tri Primary School is also a disadvantaged school. Therefore, the school mobilizes resources from philanthropists and companies.
"The school's perspective is to avoid waste, practice frugality, and maintain transparency. The school invites external support to directly care for the children; that's all I think," Mr. Thai said.
According to Mr. Thai, the school has received support equivalent to 1,000 notebooks so far. Notably, all 447 medals and 6 trophies have been sponsored to be awarded to students participating in the school's sports competition.
Students of Phan Van Tri Primary School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) on the opening day of the 2024-2025 school year. Photo: Nhan Le
In fact, November 20th is a day to show appreciation to teachers, and many parents want to express their gratitude through gifts, whether material or spiritual. Mr. Thai said that as soon as the school's open letter became famous, he received quite a few mixed opinions, both praise and criticism.
Mr. Thai affirmed: "The target audience for the school's open letters are organizations, philanthropists, and companies, not parents of students. Because if the school doesn't send them, those entities will send flower arrangements to the school anyway, leading to waste. The school does not interfere in the personal relationships between parents and teachers."
Mr. Thai added that during the school-wide parent meeting, it was absolutely emphasized that class funds should not be used for rewarding or caring for students' well-being, as that is the school's responsibility. Regarding the children, teachers have been informed to teach them about gratitude and appreciation for their teachers through good academic performance, and activities such as teaching them to make greeting cards to give to their teachers have also been implemented.
Parents have become accustomed to not giving flowers or gifts to teachers on November 20th.
For Phan Van Luong Secondary School, this is the second year the school has sent a letter to the school's leadership, teachers, and staff stating that they do not want flowers or gifts on the occasion of November 20th.
An open letter from Nguyen Van Luong Secondary School regarding the refusal of flowers and gifts for teachers on the occasion of November 20th. Photo: The school.
Speaking to Dan Viet, Mr. Dinh Phu Cuong, Principal of Nguyen Van Luong Secondary School, said that last year the school also did not accept flowers or gifts to celebrate Vietnamese Teachers' Day on November 20th. Instead, the school called on businesses, philanthropists, and parents to donate health insurance cards for students.
As a result, the school only requested 89 health insurance cards but received support in the form of 200. Each health insurance card is worth 680,400 VND and is valid for 12 months in 2024. The remaining cards will be saved and used to care for these students during the Lunar New Year 2024.
This year, although there was no call for donations of health insurance cards for underprivileged students, parents and benefactors proactively contacted us to donate insurance cards.
"Last year's program created a positive habit among parents, so this year, even though the school didn't send a letter requesting support for health insurance cards for underprivileged students, we received proactive contributions from everyone. To date, the school has received 72 health insurance cards for poor students in celebration of November 20th," Mr. Cuong said.
Students of Nguyen Van Luong Secondary School (District 6, Ho Chi Minh City) participating in an experiential activity in Literature. Photo: The school.
However, when the school's letter circulated on social media, some opinions suggested that parents and students shouldn't be prohibited from expressing their gratitude to teachers. "I find it truly sad that the school has to issue announcements like this. Teaching is a noble profession, and the government has dedicated a day to teachers to show appreciation, so why are parents being so strict? My view, from my school days until now as a parent of two children, is that once you're in school and a student, you should be grateful to those who have taught you and express that gratitude to your teachers on November 20th," one parent shared.
Responding to this issue, Mr. Cuong emphasized: "The school has clearly stated that it 'does not organize fundraising,' 'does not accept flowers or congratulatory gifts from the school's Parent-Teacher Association and the Parent-Teacher Associations of individual classes,' and the school does not interfere in the gift-giving between individual parents and teachers."
According to Mr. Cuong, the act of showing gratitude to teachers by parents and students is a beautiful gesture, reflecting the nation's tradition of respecting and honoring teachers. However, this should take place individually, not through collective fundraising. "Especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, the economy has been significantly affected, and many parents are facing financial difficulties. Calling for donations and treating all parents equally is unreasonable. Each parent should be allowed to express their gratitude to their teachers in a way they prefer," Mr. Cuong stated.
Mr. Cuong further informed that for nearly 10 years, the school has not solicited any kind of funds, especially class funds. The school consistently maintains the stance of not asking parents to contribute to any funds and always provides clarity and transparency to parents.
Source: https://danviet.vn/nhieu-y-kien-trai-chieu-ve-viec-hieu-truong-mot-so-truong-thong-bao-khong-nhan-hoa-qua-dip-20-11-20241114131231884.htm
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