Parents "weigh their brains" choosing a school for their children to enter grade 10

Which high school should you send your child to, public or private? Should you choose a school based on your child's interests or your parents' wishes? Education experts have pointed out a number of criteria to help parents consider and choose the right school for their children.

Ms. Nguyen Thanh Ha in Hai Ba Trung District (Hanoi), a parent whose child is preparing to enter 10th grade, said that she and her husband had discussed choosing a school for their child very early on. After much debate, they finally came to an agreement that they would try to "work hard" to earn money for their child to study at a private school, hoping that in addition to learning knowledge, their child would be equipped with the necessary skills of a generation of global citizens.

Parents need to pay attention to core criteria to choose the right school for their children. Illustration photo

Unlike Ms. Ha, Ms. Le Ngoc Lan in Dong Da district (Hanoi) chose to send her child to a public school because it is suitable for her family's economic conditions and traditions. According to Ms. Lan, the most important thing for a child is the ability to adapt well to all circumstances. In the current conditions, if compared to non-public schools or international schools, the facilities of public schools are not as good, but if children can "survive" in a public environment, they can certainly "survive" in any other environment. Therefore, she and her husband chose to accompany their child, encouraging them to "stay up late, wake up early" and study hard to pass the entrance exam to a public school.

Meanwhile, Ms. Ho Phuong Thao in Cau Giay District (Hanoi) believes that there cannot be a common denominator for all parents in choosing a school for their children. Therefore, she has outlined criteria for choosing a school for her child in a direction that is suitable for the child's ability, the parents' wishes and the family's economic conditions.

From an expert perspective, Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thanh Nam, Vice Principal of the University of Education, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, shared: Every child has 3 teachers, which are parents, teachers and the educational environment. And high school is one of the important stages for children to form their personality and develop their abilities. Therefore, the learning environment at this stage is very important to help students explore their own abilities to see which career direction is suitable for them in the future. A high school is considered suitable and of good quality based on many quantitative factors that students and parents can consider and research when choosing a school. It can be good facilities, a training program with its own characteristics, reputation, good rankings, high benchmark scores, a large number of students passing the university entrance exam, etc.

However, Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thanh Nam also emphasized that the above criteria are only a part, the important thing is that the value of a school sometimes depends a lot on the perception and wishes of the parents themselves. To avoid sentimentality when choosing a school, parents need to pay attention to core criteria such as the educational philosophy of each school, along with conditions such as facilities to ensure the implementation of that philosophy. Next is to consider the teacher-student relationships, school culture, the ability to orient and inspire teachers in accompanying, orienting, and co-creating knowledge. And the last factor is to research and find out whether the school's educational program serves the majority or aims to personalize each group to equip the necessary skills for citizens of the 21st century.

Ms. Chu Thi Hien, Principal of Tri Duc High School (Hanoi), also admitted that high school is a pivotal stage in shaping students' future careers. This is also the time when many students begin to want to assert themselves but lack a clear direction. Therefore, choosing a school with a suitable educational environment becomes the top concern of many parents.

According to Ms. Hien, among the concerns and worries of parents when learning about high schools, the most important concern is probably the school's educational environment. However, in the context of the current development of science and technology, parents should also change their perspective on a good school. In reality, a quality learning environment is one that creates opportunities for students to develop their abilities to the fullest instead of restricting them to pre-set programs. That environment not only helps students develop comprehensively but also forces them to learn how to adapt flexibly to changing contexts, respect discipline, be independent, adapt and overcome difficulties to assert themselves.

Mr. Dinh Duc Hien, Vice Principal of FPT Bac Giang High School, said that when choosing a high school today, one of the first factors for most families is economic conditions. For families with normal economic conditions, children often have to work hard to get a place in a public school. For families with better economic conditions, there will also be more options, which is the system of private schools with many different forms and qualities. At this time, what parents need to care about is what their children learn, what direction they develop in, and what environment can discover and promote the strengths of each child. It will be difficult to come up with a general formula, but there is a principle that can be applied: parents should choose for their children an environment with many experiences but with a clear and practical educational philosophy, closely following the needs of social development and promoting the core values ​​of students.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/giao-duc/phu-huynh-can-nao-chon-truong-cho-con-vao-lop-10-i768150/