VietNamNet Bridge - Since the development of new schools cannot catch up with the population increase, HCM City is seriously lacking schools. Because of this, parents have to enroll their children in privately run day-boarding classes.

According to Dang Duc Hoang, head of the district 11’s education sub-department, only 40 percent of secondary school students are day boarders, an increase of 3 percent compared with the last year. The figure is 70 percent for primary schools, up by 5 percent.

The HCM City Education and Training Department decided that 80 percent of the city’s primary school students and 35 percent of secondary school students have two learning sessions a day in the 2015-2016 academic year, while the figure must be 100 percent and 65 percent, respectively, by 2020.

However, analysts commented that the targets are unattainable in the context of the rapid population increase.

Not only district 11, but many other districts are under pressure from the high percentages of migrants. The proportions of day boarders, or students having two sessions a day, are especially low in the districts of Tan Phu, Tan Binh and Go Vap.

Tran Trong Khiem, deputy head of the Tan Phu district’s education sub-department, said 100 percent of children can go to day-boarding preschools, but only 23 percent of primary school and 10.3 percent of secondary school students can.

Since the development of new schools cannot catch up with the population increase, HCM City is seriously lacking schools. Because of this, parents have to enroll their children in privately run day-boarding classes.

In Tan Binh district, the proportion is high, at 64 percent, at primary schools, but it is 20 percent only at secondary schools. The figures are 60 percent and 50 percent in Go Vap district.

According to Nguyen Thanh Van, head of the district 10’s education sub-department, only 30 percent of secondary school students can have two learning shifts a day because of the poor material facilities.

He said there must be 24 secondary schools more in the locality to be able to ensure two learning shifts a day for 100 percent of students. The Ky Hoa Secondary School, once put into operation would be able to satisfy 40 percent of the demand for day boarding schools.

As state-owned schools cannot satisfy the demand, parents have to bring their children to privately run classes. However, the classes have caused problems for local authorities.

An education official said it was difficult to manage the education quality of the classes, saying that the classes simply serve as places to keep children rather than education establishments.

Khiem noted that the classes have mushroomed because the demand is very high. The existence of the private classes allows more students who can have two learning shifts a day. However, he said private classes are not encouraged. In principle, the local authorities have to make every effort to increase the percentage of day boarders.


NLD