VietNamNet Bridge - Summer holiday is not the time for many Vietnamese students to relax, but the period for them to study to prepare for the new academic year, to practice life skills, and improve foreign language skills.

Hundreds of parents in HCMC queued up in front of the Center for Education Foresting at No 218 Ly Tu Trong street in district 1 several days ago to register fir summer classes for their children.

Some of them complained that they had visited several times but still could not apply for seats in summer classes because the number of students was too high, while the seats were limited.

Summer holiday is not the time for many Vietnamese students to relax, but the period for them to study to prepare for the new academic year, to practice life skills, and improve foreign language skills.

Similar centers in rural areas are in the same situation. Thuan Phuong, a teacher, wrote on Giao Duc Viet Nam that rural parents have to register for summer classes for their children soon, or no seats will be left. 

The classes run by popular teachers are always very crowded. Some parents said they must ensure seats at some classes at any cost, because their children must learn with teacher A or teacher B, the best teachers in town. 

However, famous teachers are choosy. Some teachers said they only accept excellent students.

A high school teacher in Hanoi said he cannot understand what ‘best teachers’ mean. 

“Does ‘best teacher’ mean the teachers who only admit excellent students?” he asked. “I believe that ‘best teachers’ should be ones who can turn bad students into good ones.”

Many Vietnamese students do not have a summer holiday. The academic year finishes in late May but they have to begin going to summer classes in early June. Hoang Hoa Thuy, a parent in Cay Giay district, commented that summer is the time for students’ "third semester".

Students take extra lessons in math and literature. They practice foreign language skills. They attend life skill classes. They also need to study music and dance and attend communication skill classes in order to ‘become global citizens’. The training courses cost several million dong.

Nguyen Thi Thu Hong, who has two children going to primary school, said she has spent nearly VND10 million to enroll them in summer classes. 

“The older child has to go to a math class because he is weak at math. If he doesn’t review the lessons this summer, he will lag behind classmates when the new academic year begins,” she said.

“The second child will have to practice reading and writing as she will enter the first grade after summer,” she said.

The parent said her older child wants to attend martial arts and music classes as well. However, learning math is the priority.

RELATED NEWS

Despite the ban, HCM City schools open extra classes during summer

Summer holiday shortened, students return to school in mid-July

Tien Phong