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Billboards and banderoles, big and small, advertising foreign language centers, are being hung everywhere in HCM City, especially in some areas of Binh Thanh, Tan Binh districts, and the “foreign language centers’ street” of Hang Xanh. The billboards and banderoles invite people to study at the centers which have foreign partners, offer modern labs, special curriculums and native English teachers.
However, in fact, many centers do not have either foreign partners or modern labs, nor native English teachers and special curriculums. The centers have been “crying wine and selling vinegar”.
The branch of a foreign language center on Dien Bien Phu Street in Binh Thanh district catches the attention of many people, with a large billboard hung in front of the house and a dazzlingly bright and a well decorated reception room.
However, the room is the only room in the house which has such a showy appearance. In order to enter classrooms, learners have to follow a narrow alley located on the side of the house, which is 10 meters long and 1.2 meters wide. At the end of the alley, one could see an iron staircase which leads to the second floor, where classrooms are located. The rooms have been restructured from accommodation rooms to turn into classrooms.
At the branch, there is only one toilet situated at the foot of the stairs, and there is no exit way in case of fire. More dangerously, there are many learners, and many of them are children.
“T”, a learner at the E English International Center headquartered in Phu Nhuan district, complained that she decided to study at E, because the center advertised as having large and well equipped classrooms. However, T later realized that the classrooms here are cramped, with 30 learners gathered in a 20 square meter classroom.
Since the classrooms here are too small, teachers have to stand on the same position during the whole lesson, while they cannot organize games or arrange teamwork.
People would not know about the poor conditions if they do not enter the classrooms. They would be fooled by the glitter outside--a large room is located right after the entrance door, where there are officers in uniform and modern computers ready for students to use.
However, the classrooms are too old, where people cannot enjoy sufficient daylight. The staircase has been downgrading, while the alley is small. Six classrooms here have to share the same small toilet on the ground floor.
The same situation can be seen at many other foreign language centers. The common thing of the centers is that there is no exit way in case of fire.
Equivocal promises
Despite the poor infrastructure conditions, the foreign language centers still can attract many learners by offering gifts and tuition remissions.
For example, if students register two or more training courses, they would enjoy the tuition reduction of 50-70 percent. The learners of the above said foreign language center on Dien Bien Phu Street have to pay 3 million dong for an English communication training course. However, if a student registers two courses, he would have to pay 4.5 million dong in total for 12 months of learning.
“VT”, a learner at the center, said that the receptionist informed him that he would be able to learn with an American native teacher after the first one or two weeks. However, the teacher only appeared one month later. Especially, he continuously has been absent at the next lessons.
A learner at a center in Thu Duc district complained that the school showed the low tuition level, but this was just for primary training course. In order to enjoy the 50 percent tuition reduction, learners need to study more than one year.
NLD
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