VietNamNet Bridge – Kindergarten principals in big cities say the quality assessment standards drafted by Ministry of Education and Training last month are nice in theory, but unworkable.

The quality standards are expected to apply to both public and private kindergartens. They look at school organisational and management structures, teachers and staff, infrastructure, relationship between kindergartens, parents and the community, and assess the results of teaching activities.

The standards require that teachers listed as permanent staff be responsible for no more than four children three to 12 months old, no more than 20 children aged 13 to 24 months old and no more than 25 children 25 to 36 months old.

It also sets maximum class sizes of 25 for children aged 3 to 4 years old, 30 for 4 to 5 years old, and 35 for 5 to 6 year s old.

Chairman of the Ha Noi Educational Psychology Association Nguyen Tung Lam said these new rules on class sizes could lead to remarkable improvements in quality but the current situation made implementation very difficult.

He said that while kindergartens in urban areas suffered from overcrowding, there was still a severe shortage of teachers as well as limited infrastructure which could be traced back to the comparatively low investment in pre-schools over a long period.

Minh Quang Commune public kindergarten in Ba Vi District is an example of the problems faced.

The principal of the kindergarten Nguyen Thi Hieu said: "The number of children attending the school is 504. We have 22 classrooms, but there are only 26 teachers. Some classes have to share rooms."

She said the new regulations would see the school needing to recruit many more teachers and build more classrooms which was simply impossible in the near future.

When it comes to facilities, the new standards say that kindergartens must have a 60-square-metre gym and arts room. Outdoor playgrounds should be equipped with at least five types of toys and surrounded by greenery.

If this was the case, said Hieu, her school and other kindergartens in the district would not be able to comply.

An Thuy Ha, principal of private kindergarten Misha in Thanh Xuan District, said: "Unlike public kindergartens, private kindergartens often have to lease their premises and the total area is fixed. My school could meet the other new requirements but finding room for a large playground would be a real challenge for us."

Ha said she thought only a few kindergartens in Ha Noi, including international schools and those which received special investment from the municipal authorities, would be able to meet all of the criteria.

Lam said the new standards would act as a reference for schools and local authorities to improve the quality of kingergardents in the long run.

"To make this set of standards work, we need time and a concrete roadmap with more attention and investment from local authorities," he said.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News