VietNamNet Bridge - The number of students in the 2017-2018 academic year will reach a record high, especially at preschool and primary education, raising concerns about the lack of teachers and classrooms.

According to the HCM Education Department, HCMC will have 19,833 more students at preschools, 20,199 at primary schools, 12,741 at secondary schools and 6,319 at high schools. Go Vap, Binh Tan and 12 are the districts with the sharpest increases in the number of students.

Nguyen Thanh Thuy, head of the Go Vap district education sub-department, said the number of students entering secondary school in the locality would increase by 1,700 compared with the previous year, while the number of students entering primary school would increase by 1,000. 

Since the number of students in the district has risen too rapidly, no more than 70 percent of students can have two learning shifts a day (students go to school in the morning and afternoon).

The number of students in the 2017-2018 academic year will reach a record high, especially at preschool and primary education, raising concerns about the lack of teachers and classrooms.

The same situation can be seen in other districts with high population increases such as Binh Tan, Tan Phu, Thu Duc, Cu Chi and Nha Be.

Duong Tri Dung from the HCMC Education Department said at a working session with the HCMC People’s Council that 1,500 new classrooms have been built, but the city still lacks sufficient number of classrooms. 

To implement the plan of having 300 classrooms per 10,000 people by 2030, HCMC is considering developing 722 projects to build 12,000 new classrooms.

Districts’ education sub-departments are now hurrying to recruit teachers in anticipation of the lack of teachers. 

According to Dang Duc Hoang, head of the district 11’s education sub-department, the district needs 20 preschool and 20 primary school teachers this year as there would be 200 more students for each education level.

Meanwhile, it is very difficult to recruit new teachers and retain existing teachers.

Nguyen Quang Vinh, head of the HCMC Education Department’s primary education division, said good teachers at state-owned schools tend to leave for non-state owned schools, or change careers, especially teachers of English.

This is due to the low salary offered to general school teachers. “With VND3-4 million a month, they cannot cover basic needs,” Vinh said, adding that despite great efforts, the city still cannot reach 1.2-1.5 teachers per class for primary schools as requested by MOET.

While high schools have more than enough teachers, the number of candidates applying for the schools is still on the rise. 

Meanwhile, preschools and primary schools lack students, and the number of applicants is modest.

In the latest report to HCMC authorities, the HCMC Education & Training Department said the city lacks 500 preschool teachers every year and can employ 1,466 teachers, but it needs 1,965.