'I think asking is normal.'

TPO - The female teacher who asked parents for money to buy a laptop claims she is being sued by parents for refusing to accept the laptop. If she had agreed to accept the computer, the whole thing wouldn't have been so chaotic.

Asking for money to buy a computer because they believe in the socialization of education.

On the morning of September 30th, Ms. Truong Phuong Hanh (homeroom teacher of class 4/3, Chuong Duong Primary School, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) - who was criticized for asking parents for donations to buy computers - spoke with a reporter from Tien Phong newspaper about the related issues.

Ms. Hanh said she lost her computer right at school during the 2022-2023 school year. Around that time, several other teachers also lost property at school. This school year, class 4/3 has been equipped with a television, so she wants a new computer to prepare lessons and connect to the TV for teaching.

Ms. Truong Phuong Hanh (homeroom teacher of class 4/3, Chuong Duong Primary School, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City). Photo: Nhan Le.

"I didn't ask the principal's opinion from the beginning about this because I thought requesting to buy laptops was normal, in line with the policy of socializing education, with the state and the people working together. Many people do the same. I didn't apply a uniform policy but based it on the voluntary participation of parents. If there were no computers, the TV would be sitting idle, which would be a waste," Ms. Hanh said.

The female teacher added that when the principal learned of the situation, he instructed her not to accept financial support from parents. On September 16th, Ms. Hanh created a poll on the class group (agreeing and disagreeing with providing financial support for purchasing computers for teachers).

Given instructions from the school administration, why didn't she refuse immediately instead of creating a poll?

Responding to a reporter's question, Ms. Hanh explained: "All parents agreed to contribute money to buy laptops during the previous parent-teacher meeting, so I had no reason to refuse. I created the poll to have a reason to refuse because if someone had complained to the school, then someone would disagree."

The female teacher claims she is being sued by parents for refusing to accept the computers. "If I had agreed to accept them, there wouldn't have been so much fuss," Ms. Hanh explained.

After three parents expressed their disagreement, the teacher asked, "Which child's parent are they?" Explaining the situation, Ms. Hanh said that there were 38 parents in the class, but the group consisted of 47 people, so she "didn't know who was who."

"I just wanted to ask who this parent was to find out. Many people think I'm upset, but I'm not angry with the parent at all. I still love and teach the children as usual," Ms. Hanh said.

Regarding the issue of not preparing lesson plans, teacher Hanh stated that this is not the teacher's responsibility and that she is not angry with the parents for not contributing money to buy computers.

Selling food in the classroom.

Parents of students in class 4/3 also reported that Ms. Hanh sells instant noodles, sausages, and mixed rice paper snacks to the students. Those who don't buy food from her are forced to eat outside the classroom.

Ms. Hanh denied the information that students were standing outside and added: "I live far from the school, so I bring food to the classroom. The students said they were hungry, so I sold them some. Students who bought food elsewhere were still allowed to sit in the classroom and eat as usual."

Chuong Duong Primary School, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nhan Le.

The female teacher also stated that she had been giving extra lessons to students since September 9th but stopped last week. "I was wrong for not understanding the regulations on social mobilization, and I hope the matter will be resolved soon," Ms. Hanh shared.

Ms. Hanh has worked in the education sector for 30 years and taught at Chuong Duong Primary School for 18 years.

On the morning of September 30th, Mr. Le Cong Minh, Principal of Chuong Duong Primary School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), confirmed that 24 out of 38 students in class 4/3 did not attend class that morning. “For now, we have temporarily suspended Ms. H. from her homeroom and teaching duties and will invite a qualified teacher to teach the students in class 4/3. The school is thoroughly addressing the issue. We will not cover up anything. We ask parents to give us time to resolve this,” Mr. Minh said.

Nhan Le

Source: https://tienphong.vn/co-giao-trong-vu-xin-tien-phu-huynh-mua-laptop-toi-nghi-xin-la-binh-thuong-post1677768.tpo