VietNamNet Bridge - A video filmed by a parent showing images of fourth and fifth graders carrying tables has been posted on the internet, causing controversy.

The images were shot at Phuoc Dong Primary School in Phuoc Dong commune, Nha Trang City, in Khanh Hoa province.

The parent, named Nguyen Duyen, shared the video on Facebook, saying: “All parents wish to see their children in clean and tidy white shirts and dark blue trousers on their first day of the new school year so that they can communicate in a clean environment. But their wish cannot come true."

Hundreds of 'likes' and comments have been made about the clip. And a hot topic has been raised on education forums: should students be asked to work so hard?

Nguyen Thi Anh, a parent who has a daughter in primary school, commented that children go to school to learn and to be loved by teachers, not to work so hard. 

“Why didn’t cleaners take the job of carrying tables?” she questioned, adding that it was unreasonable to ask small children to undertake such work.

Another parent also expressed his concern about duties assigned to students at school. “What will happen if students accidentally fall down the stairs and break their leg? Who will be responsible for this?” 

The parent said the school should spend money to hire cleaners to do this work. “Parents are always asked to pay big sums of money every year. Why doesn’t the school management board spend money on these works?” 

Meanwhile, many other parents disagree. They said getting students to do labor is a necessity, or they will become too dependent. 

Kha Ly, a parent, wrote on an education forum: “I will encourage my daughter to do the cleaning at her class and school”.

“Carrying tables and cleaning the blackboard and the floor are not heavy work. They can be done well by fourth and fifth graders,” she commented.

“Students will feel happy if they can do good work. This is a good method of education,” she said.

Ly said that she also had done manual work in her childhood, from preparing meals for family members to cleaning houses, from working in the rice field to helping parents carry things from home to the fields. 

“It was labor which helped me grow up and become a useful citizen in society,” she said.

Nguyen Van Chau, headmaster of Phuoc Dong Primary School, said he felt sad about the clip. 

“All students and teachers worked together on August 29 to clean classrooms to prepare for the new academic year. However, the parent who posted the clip said only the students had to work, while the teachers were relaxing,” he said.

Thanh Mai