American International School ends school year 1 month early due to lack of teachers

Trường quốc tế AISVN - Ảnh: TRẦN HUỲNH — AISVN International School - Photo: TRAN HUYNH

AISVN school stated that it has received numerous emails sharing concerns and questions regarding information about the plan to complete the 2023-2024 school year.

The school acknowledges all of the parents' concerns and questions and has provided a general response to the entire community.

The school does not have enough teachers to teach after April 26th.

Explaining why the school ended the school year on April 26th, the school stated that many foreign teachers had announced their resignation starting in early May 2024 or earlier. During the last two weeks of April 2024, the school had to continuously plan and arrange substitute teaching schedules for absent teachers each day.

Furthermore, the majority of teachers expressed that they could not agree to continue working without full pay. The teachers chose to work until April 26th for the benefit of the students and to ensure they can complete the school year. The school will not have enough teachers to teach after this date.

Furthermore, current funding is insufficient to cover essential operating expenses such as electricity bills, telephone bills, maintenance of outsourced equipment for learning (such as photocopiers, projectors, etc.), and even transportation services.

Ending the school year early allows the school to focus on addressing critical immediate concerns, such as staffing shortages and financial constraints.

The school also provided information on how grades will be recorded and learning progress will be assessed in the second semester, specifically:

At the primary school level, students' grades are based on an ongoing assessment of their achievement and progress across all subjects throughout the second semester.

At the secondary level, teachers are evaluating second-semester grades based on summative and process assessments submitted from January 2024 to the present. All chapters and lessons have met the required hours and expectations of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization.

"The school has sufficient academic evidence and hours for this school year, so the IB Organization understands and supports the plan to complete the school year early to respond to the force majeure situation and protect the AISVN learning community," a representative from the principal's office added.

The school has not yet determined a timeframe for refunding the contributions made by parents.

When and how will parents be reimbursed for the money they contributed to the common account? The school stated that the school board had previously announced and assured that these contributions would be loans and would be reimbursed once the restructuring process is complete.

"The school understands the concerns and disappointment of parents who have trusted and supported the school during this time. The school hopes that parents will be patient while waiting for confirmation from the school board regarding the method and timeline for the refund," the Principal's Office stated.

Source