VietNamNet Bridge – The price of tuition at prestigious primary schools has soared dramatically because of the sharp increase in the number of first graders this school year, many parents in the capital have said.

Hong Minh, an office worker, said she had successfully enrolled her daughter in a “star” school in Hanoi. “I have to pay VND25 million for my daughter,” she said.

Tuition of VND25 million is a significant sum of money for the majority of Vietnamese people, who earn VND3.5 million a month on average.

In Vietnam, those who have the monthly income of VND10 million and higher would be listed as “high income earners”.

However, though having to spend this huge sum of money, Minh does not regret the money.

“You need to both have close relations with VIPs and the school’s management board members and have a lot of money. If you only have one of these two conditions, you will fail to obtain a seat at the school,” she said.

Minh explained that it is more difficult to enroll in prestigious schools nowadays, as the number of the schools remains unchanged while the number of students has been increasing rapidly.

“The seats at the prestigious schools have become more expensive,” she said. “A friend of mine said she plans to send her daughter to a normal school near the residential quarter, because she does not have VND35 million as requested.”

Hanoians believe that it is even more difficult to enroll in primary schools than in universities. Students just need to have good learning capability to be able to enter universities. Meanwhile, this is not the only factor determining if they can enroll in a prestigious school.

In principle, schools only accept students who live in the same localities where the schools are located. However, many parents want to send their children to schools in other districts because the schools are believed to have better teaching staff and better schools. Therefore, they are willing to pay money to obtain their goals.

Nam, a parent in Cau Giay District, said: “I have two options for now and I need to make decision what school to enroll in, either the very famous school for great achievements in recent years, or a less famous school near my house. The problem is that the price of the seat at the former school is much higher than the latter school.”

An educator said urban parents seem to be overly careful when enrolling their children in primary schools. Hanoians, for example, believe that the first school years are the most important education period for their children.

“What will happen if your child is in the same class with naughty students who usually play truant?” Minh said, adding that a bad educational environment will not encourage children to study.

Nguoi Dua Tin