School "accused" of collecting 3.8 million VND to move air conditioner: Principal speaks out

On October 13, Nghi Duc Primary School held a parent meeting at the beginning of the school year. After the meeting, an anonymous account posted on social media that the school collected money to move the air conditioner without notifying or discussing it with parents.

Below the comment section, there is a detailed list of costs for transferring air conditioning to 8 classrooms.

Specifically, 3-phase electric wire costs 740,000 VND, disassembly costs 300,000 VND, cleaning costs 400,000 VND, installation costs 800,000 VND, copper pipe costs 1,060,000 VND, electric wire costs 270,000 VND, water pipe costs 100,000 VND, power connector costs 45,000 VND and disassembly costs 115,000 VND. Total cost is 3,872,500 VND/class.

Information about Nghi Duc Primary School collecting 3.8 million VND to install and remove air conditioners was posted on social media by a parent (Photo: Hoang Lam).

Comments left said that the cost of removing and installing air conditioners from the old classrooms to the new ones was too high. Many people were concerned about the "disassembly" and "installation" costs, etc., shown in the school's statement.

Speaking with Dan Tri reporter, Ms. Lam Thi Thuy Hoa, Principal of Nghi Duc Primary School, confirmed that the information posted on social networks was inaccurate.

"This is the cost of dismantling, installing, and moving 2 air conditioners/classroom. Of which, the school supports 1.3 million VND, and the classes pay 2.5 million VND," Ms. Hoa informed.

To prepare for the new school year, on July 25, the school held a meeting to discuss and ask for opinions from the school's Parents' Representative Board on a number of issues related to facilities and teaching and learning equipment, including moving the air conditioners of 8 classrooms from the old building to the new building.

In early September, the 3-storey building with 10 classrooms and 5 functional rooms was completed. The dismantling and installation of air conditioners in the classrooms was carried out on September 14.

According to Ms. Hoa, the relocation cost price list was provided by the contractor. Using 16 classroom air conditioners and 5 administrative rooms, the existing power line was not enough to handle the load. Therefore, the school had to build a separate 3-phase power line for the classroom air conditioners.

During use, some old equipment is damaged or needs maintenance, or additional equipment needs to be installed to ensure safety and prevent leaks caused by air conditioning water...

The cost of dismantling and installing 2 air conditioners from the old building to the new building was 3.8 million VND, of which the school supported 1.3 million VND (Photo: Hoang Lam).

Regarding the "disassembly" and "installation" fees, the principal said that this was a mistake due to a display error on the statement. Disassembly and installation fees are for removing and installing the air conditioner, while "disassembly and installation fees" are for removing the meter, threading wires and threading water pipes.

"In this matter, we made a mistake in only asking for opinions and getting approval from 3 members of the school's Parents' Association but not asking for opinions from the Parents' Associations of each class.

We have done our best to ensure that the students enter the new school year in the best possible conditions. We thought that when the children study in a spacious, fully equipped room, the parents would be very excited...", Ms. Lam Thi Thuy Hoa explained.

The female principal said that in the process of disseminating information to parents, some homeroom teachers may not have communicated fully, leading to parents misunderstanding and disagreement. Specifically, there were 3 classes that did not agree with the budget for moving the air conditioners that the school proposed.

The school also reported specifically about the incident to the People's Committee of Nghi Duc commune and the Department of Education and Training of Vinh city.

On the afternoon of October 14, the board of directors of Nghi Duc Primary School also held a meeting with representatives of the Parents' Association of each class to provide more complete and specific information about the issue, to avoid negative public opinion on the internet.

Regarding the complaint of "forcing parents to sign the minutes of handing over air conditioners to the school", Ms. Lam Thi Thuy Hoa said that it was to facilitate operation, maintenance, management...

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/truong-bi-to-thu-38-trieu-dong-de-di-doi-dieu-hoa-hieu-truong-len-tieng-20241015120946183.htm