INVESTING IN PRESCHOOL EDUCATION IS VERY DIFFICULT
Ms. Kieu My Chi, Deputy Head of the Department of Education and Training of Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, said that currently, preschool education facilities are developing a lot. Some preschool schools and classes also post information and introduce them to parents... however, enrollment has not been as expected.
Ms. Luong Thi Hong Diep, Head of the Preschool Education Department, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, said that investing in preschool education is very difficult, not simple, investors should not invest widely, not just find a place with cheap space and rent it to open a school/class group, but must survey the population density, the rate of children attending class, the schools/classes already in the vicinity..., otherwise it will be very difficult to recruit students. Ms. Diep said that the Preschool Education Department continues to listen to and absorb the opinions of units to propose to relevant departments, branches and sectors to remove difficulties, so that more units, teachers and children can benefit from Resolution 27/2021/NQ-HDND of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council on policies for developing preschool education in areas with industrial parks in Ho Chi Minh City.
Children at Kim Dong Kindergarten, a private school that has been operating for 34 years in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City
IMPROVE QUALITY, STREAMLINE THE MODEL
In the current difficult context, Mr. TM, the owner of a kindergarten in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, believes that private kindergartens must save themselves by improving the quality of care and teaching, and improving their products. Specifically, providing Saturday childcare services, building more attractive curriculums, improving the quality of English familiarization with foreign teachers, keeping class sizes moderate... to compete effectively with other schools.
Ms. Nguyen Thuy Uyen Phuong, founder of Faros Education & Consulting, a unit specializing in consulting for educational organizations, analyzed that there is currently a shift in the operating model of private preschools. Large schools in central districts require large operating costs (due to high rental costs), while fewer children make enrollment more difficult. Meanwhile, smaller facilities such as preschool classes (ensuring the regulations of Circular 49 of the Ministry of Education and Training) in districts with higher mechanical population growth rates such as Tan Phu, Binh Chanh, Binh Tan, Thu Duc City... are still operating quite well, enrolling students regularly. The operating costs of these units will be lower than large schools.
"I have noticed that when children are in nursery and kindergarten age, the current trend of parents is to want to send their children to preschool facilities near their home, right in the residential area or apartment building where they live, for the convenience of taking them to and from school every day. Parents do not require large, famous preschools, but only preschool classes that comply with legal regulations, are clean, safe, and do not have too many students, so that the children can be carefully cared for by teachers and caregivers with expertise and good ethics," said Ms. Uyen Phuong.
"When I went to Europe, I saw that in countries with extremely low birth rates, their preschools are also very small - you could call them "micro schools", with about 30-40 children, but the childcare conditions are very good, the teachers are dedicated, and provide specialized care for the children. Therefore, investors in the preschool sector in Ho Chi Minh City need to pay attention to surveying the geographical location to open a school, and should streamline the model, focusing on specialized care to adapt to the current difficult context," Ms. Uyen Phuong added.
A private kindergarten on Tran Quoc Toan Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City closed.
EXPECTATIONS OF PRIVATE KINDERGARTEN INVESTORS
Preschool investors are looking forward to and expecting to have their current difficulties resolved. Ms. Nguyen Thuy Uyen Phuong said that the biggest annual cost currently incurred to operate private preschools and classes is the cost of renting space. "We hope that education investors will receive incentives in land rental prices when opening schools/classes, to share in this extremely difficult period."
Ms. NP, an investor in the education sector, said that the process of assessing and licensing a preschool class according to Circular 49 of the Ministry of Education and Training is complicated and requires support and specific guidance from local agencies and departments. In Ho Chi Minh City, the birth rate is low, many investors in the education sector are worried that enrollment will become more difficult in the next few years, so it is necessary to research and have specific policies for private preschool education in Ho Chi Minh City.
This investor also believes that recently many preschool/kindergarten owners have "run out of steam" not only because of lack of capital but also because the quality of preschool staff has fluctuated. Many staff have "jumped jobs" and quit due to great pressure and stress in the profession. Therefore, she hopes there will be policies to support non-public preschool teachers in terms of material and spiritual aspects.
"Many private preschool teachers are "watched" by parents on camera. Not to mention that in private preschools, parents demand and expect more from teachers. Meanwhile, the income of private preschool teachers in Vietnam is still disadvantaged. Many people cannot bear it and quit their jobs," Ms. NP confided.
Teacher Ho Thi Thuong, owner of Kim Dong Kindergarten, Binh Thanh District (HCMC), also said that she really hopes to receive support policies and rent reductions in the context of general difficulties, so that class/school owners have the motivation to continue to stick with private kindergartens. According to Ms. Thuong, when preschool education has diverse development in both the public and non-public sectors, parents and learners have more choices and a variety of products. Each type of education has its own advantages. For example, independent and private kindergartens can pick up children earlier, help parents look after children later in the day, can look after children on Saturdays, holidays... according to parents' needs, take care of specialized children, enroll students all year round so that parents can send their children and work with peace of mind...
It is necessary to issue special incentive policies for investors in the education and training sector.
The report in July 2024 of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training on the current situation of preschool education in urban areas and industrial parks in the city sent to the Department of Preschool Education, Ministry of Education and Training, showed that, based on Decree No. 105/2020/ND-CP of the Government on regulations on policies for developing preschool education, Resolution No. 27/2021/NQ-HDND of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council on policies for developing preschool education in areas with industrial parks in Ho Chi Minh City has been implemented, supporting non-public preschools.
From the 2021-2022 school year to the end of the 2023-2024 school year, 37 independent preschools will receive a subsidy of VND 1,040,000,000; 15,735 children will receive a subsidy of VND 12,602,050,720; 492 teachers will receive a subsidy of VND 2,622,400,000.
However, the leaders of the Department of Education and Training acknowledged that the number of children, teachers and independent preschools receiving support from this resolution is not large. The main reasons are that the standard of 30% of children in a group/class are children of workers is not met; the teaching staff has a secondary school degree in preschool education, but does not meet training standards...
Therefore, the leaders of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City proposed to the Department of Preschool Education, Ministry of Education and Training, to adjust and reduce the criteria for the percentage of children of workers and laborers working in industrial zones who are entitled to policies at preschool education facilities and support for preschool teachers in private schools (from 30% to 20%).
At the same time, to promote the socialization of education and the development of preschool education, the leaders of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City also proposed the need to issue special incentive policies for investors in the field of education and training. In fact, in addition to the relatively low corporate income tax rate applied to educational projects, educational projects have not received any special support during the investment process such as support in finding locations, procedures... There should be regulations not requiring the conversion of residential land use purposes to educational land to promote the development of non-public preschool education...
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mam-non-tu-thuc-hut-hoi-lam-sao-de-but-pha-185240924182718951.htm
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