Thanh Quoi A Primary School in Vinh Long province 

On October 17, an eighth grader at Doan Thi Diem Secondary School in Hanoi fell from the second floor to the ground. The student tried to hold onto the banisters and lost his grip.

On the same day, a male student at Hutech University in HCM was killed by a block of concrete which fell on his head while he was waiting for a lift.

Also on October 17, when 90 third and fourth graders at Thanh Quoi A Primary School in Vinh Long province were in class, the ceiling, light and electrical wire fell on 20 students and nine were brought to hospital.

Nguyen Kim Lan, an office worker, who has two children in kindergarten and primary school, said she was anxious about security in schools. Both children are day-boarders and they return home in late afternoon. This means that they spend nearly all of their time at school and Lan has to count on teachers.

One day, she received a call from a teacher who said her son got a scratch on his face after he fell on the ground. The teacher said the boy tripped over a toy chest and fell.

Experts have warned schools about the need to ensure security for students as the number of accidents has arisen.

Nguyen Tuan Vu, a parent in Hoang Mai district, said he was worried when leaving his son, an eighth grader, at school.

“Children are usually very active. He likes climbing to discover things, so he may have accidents,” he said.

“I hope that teachers check electrical wires, electric fans and windows and remind students to keep away from construction works,” he said.

Nguyen Thanh Huyen, headmaster of Phan Dinh Giot Secondary School in Thanh Xuan district said it is difficult to keep an eye on more than 1,500 students.

“Teachers cannot go to the green room in break time because they have to take inspection tours to classrooms to remind students to follow rules,” she said.

“The school usually teaches students the ways to prevent accidents,” she added.

Phan Thanh Tung, headmaster of Tran Nhan Tong High School in Hanoi, said on October 13, a block of mortar fell on a podium in a classroom. Luckily, students and teachers did not have classes on that day because teachers had to attend the teachers’ conference. And they escaped the accident. 

Tung said the school has asked the city education department to allocate budgets to upgrade classrooms, which were built 50-60 years ago. However, the upgrading still has not been implemented because of slow disbursement.