When and how to collect parent funds?

Contribute to the parent fund to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival… fully?

To organize the Mid-Autumn Festival, parents of each class at an elementary school contributed to the fund. Like many other small events, each person contributed a little, a "little by little" kind of way.

The reason for the donation is to… take care of the children’s festival in a complete and thoughtful manner. Without additional contributions, the school can only organize the program within the school’s available conditions.

In fact, in many fundraising campaigns, the request comes from the parents' suggestions and not through any school campaign. Parents' fear that their children will suffer, that their children will lack, that their children will have poor learning conditions... are the reasons for many such fundraising campaigns. "Our class should contribute money to install air conditioners for our children's classrooms" is one such request.

Fund collection and management of parent-teacher association funds are issues of concern to parents.

ILLUSTRATION: DAO NGOC THACH

In part, this reflects the parents ' caring attitude towards their children. On the contrary, few parents realize that excessive care can make children not realize the difficulties and hardships of their parents, the school and society. Children who grow up in abundance will gradually get used to a life of enjoyment, lack motivation to strive and even find it difficult to recognize the value of material wealth. In the long run, this may be part of the reason for the formation of a lifestyle of enjoyment among a part of the youth as what society is witnessing.

A study conducted at the Vietnam-Japan University about 3 years ago concluded that about 14% of young people choose a lifestyle of spending freely on personal needs, without planning for backup. The study concluded that the results partly show the trend of a pragmatic consumer lifestyle, prioritizing personal needs and especially being able to "buy anything, even if it is not really necessary".

In fact, the basic facilities and conditions for educational activities in most public schools (especially in districts of Ho Chi Minh City) are guaranteed at the necessary level. If parents do not contribute and the school conducts all activities within its capacity, is it okay? If it is okay, then this means that contributing more is "okay or not". Importantly, it will not be necessary if parents see that enjoying it for a long time can form a bad lifestyle for children later on.

At the beginning of the new school year, parents worry about many expenses when their children go to school.

ILLUSTRATION: DAO NGOC THACH

Does "majority" replace "absolute"?

A parent donation request is usually made on the basis of consent. In other words, it shows… the parent’s willingness to contribute.

But if you analyze it carefully, it is just a bit of a fallacy. In almost all decisions, starting with a single proposal, parents are asked for their opinions and… have a vote.

However, the final result is often determined by “majority agreement”. Some parents disagree, but still have to carry out the decision because of the… majority.

There are many reasons why majority voting has emerged and is popular, even replacing the principle of absolute consensus. However, in many cases, majority voting is abused for situations that require absolute consensus.

In order to demonstrate the voluntary nature, the decision to donate funds from parents must also be approved by the principle of absolute consensus. Therefore, the school must have clear and strict guidelines in each mobilization period. It is only an additional contribution in addition to the state investment, the chosen option must be one that has no objections. The school must ensure the principle that no one is forced or coerced to participate in a contribution or perform a task that is only… voluntary and not an obligation.

Broadly speaking, in the context of socialized learning that needs to be expanded, so that the state and people can both work and contribute to the development of education effectively, the mobilization of resources outside the budget must also ensure that principle. To avoid overcharging or taking advantage of the form of "voluntary" donations and mobilization, not only each school but also the governing body needs to have general guidelines. Furthermore, general regulations on education development must also recognize this principle to ensure the general consensus of society.

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