Parents disagree.

Nghi Duc Primary School (Nghi Duc commune, Vinh City, Nghe An province ).

Recently, a post on Facebook by several parents of students at Nghi Duc Primary School (Nghi Duc commune, Vinh City, Nghe An province) regarding a fee for "relocating and installing air conditioners" has caused a stir in public opinion.

Accordingly, on September 13th, during the first parent-teacher meeting of the year, Nghi Duc Primary School announced several fees, including the cost of moving and installing air conditioners for 8 classrooms from the old classrooms to the new ones.

The cost includes: 740,000 VND for 3-phase electrical wiring; 300,000 VND for removal; 400,000 VND for cleaning; 800,000 VND for installation; 1,060,000 VND for copper pipes; and 100,000 VND for water pipes… Total: 3,872,500 VND per classroom.

Following the school's price list, many parents expressed disagreement, arguing that the cost of relocating the air conditioners was higher than market rates. Furthermore, they pointed out that the school did not consult with parents before carrying out the relocation.

A social media post about the fees collected for relocating and installing air conditioners at Nghi Duc Primary School.

Regarding this issue, in response to the Education and Training Newspaper, Ms. Lam Thi Thuy Hoa – Principal of Nghi Duc Primary School – stated that the school's old classroom block had recently deteriorated, becoming damp and moldy, with peeling walls. Therefore, the school "borrowed" the three-story building under construction from the contractor to use in time for the new school year, even though the project had not yet been handed over.

On July 25th, the school held a meeting with the Parent-Teacher Association. At this meeting, the school proposed relocating all air conditioners from the administrative offices and the eight old classrooms. In addition, the school also planned to remove all televisions and internet cables.

The newly constructed three-story building of Nghi Duc Primary School.

According to Ms. Hoa, in order for the school's teaching and learning activities to become more organized and orderly, the school had to "boldly" implement the network system first. When installing the network cables, the school also accounted for and moved 16 air conditioners from 8 classrooms to the new classrooms. The relocation cost was provided by the contractor.

Ms. Hoa explained that if 16 classroom air conditioners and the air conditioners in 5 administrative offices were used, the power line would not be able to handle the load. Therefore, a separate 3-phase power line had to be installed for the air conditioners, running from the classrooms to the power pole in front of the school gate.

“Relocating old air conditioners is not the same as installing new ones; it involves damaging the copper pipes, requiring maintenance by the school, along with the electrical wiring. Furthermore, the Department of Education requires that the air conditioners be installed in conduit pipes to ensure safety. Because the air conditioner drainage system hasn't been officially handed over yet, it must be routed through the water pipes to prevent mold and leaks in the walls,” Ms. Hoa explained the costs.

The air conditioner was relocated and installed in the new classroom.

The total cost for relocating two air conditioners per classroom, amounting to over 3.8 million VND (equivalent to over 1.9 million VND per air conditioner), was stated at the meeting on October 13th. The school announced that it would subsidize 1.3 million VND per classroom, leaving parents with only the remaining 2.5 million VND.

"Last year, the self-installation cost 3.5 million VND. But this year, I paid 3.8 million VND plus the cost of water pipes and electrical wiring," Ms. Hoa said, adding that she had checked market prices before the contractor relocated the air conditioner.

However, the principal also acknowledged a "shortcoming" in the implementation process: she only discussed the issue with the school's Parent-Teacher Association (3 members) and did not consult with all classes due to time constraints.

They also suggested that at the parent-teacher meeting on October 13th, the teachers may not have fully explained the issue to the parents, leading to misunderstandings.

According to Ms. Hoa, on October 14th, the Nghi Duc Primary School's management board worked with the Nghi Duc commune authorities and the Parent-Teacher Association of each class to explain the incident.

Source: https://danviet.vn/hon-38-trieu-dong-lop-de-di-doi-dieu-hoa-phu-huynh-khong-dong-tinh-20241015110211436.htm