Teacher quality, training quality, comprehensive extracurricular activities… are the reasons why many parents are willing to pay hundreds of millions each year at international schools.
According to the International Schools Database , Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are among the top 20 cities with the most expensive annual tuition fees for international schools in the world. Tuition fees for international schools in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are ranked 14th and 19th in the world, respectively. The average annual tuition fee for international schools in Hanoi is 19,505 USD, with the highest reaching 28,820 USD. The average figure in Ho Chi Minh City is 16,078 USD and the highest is 25,344 USD.
Here are some reasons parents choose international schools:
Teacher and classroom quality
To operate an international school, educational institutions must recruit native teachers with high standards of qualifications and experience. Particularly in the foreign language aspect, teachers of these institutions often have international English teaching certificates such as TKT, TEFL, CELTA, DELTA, TESOL or TESL.
In an international standard educational environment, in addition to academic teachers, schools also have many psychologists and other special support specialists. For example, Saigon Pearl International School has a Student Support Committee and a School Safety Committee. Here, students are counseled on social emotions, mental health and many other issues in life. Therefore, tuition fees are mostly used to pay teachers to ensure the quality of education.
Students study with native teachers. Photo: ISSP
In addition, many parents are willing to pay higher fees for their children to study in international schools or some private schools because of the class size. Normally, a class of these units only has about 20 students. For example, at ISPH, this ratio is maintained at 11 students per teacher to ensure the benefits for both teachers and students.
Ms. Pham Hanh (Dong Da, Hanoi) said that she sent her child to an international kindergarten so that he could be exposed to English more naturally when communicating with foreign teachers. "Moreover, when there are only 12 students in a class like my child's, the teachers can pay more attention to the child and observe his psychology better," she added.
Integration training program
The quality of the training program is also one of the factors that makes the cost of studying here higher. During the general education stage, especially for preschool children, language skills develop strongly. Therefore, international schools often choose to teach the general education program of the Ministry of Education and Training in parallel with international programs such as Cambridge, AP, International Baccalaureate (IB)...
According to educational consultant Bui Khanh Nguyen, early bilingual development for children has many benefits in terms of thinking. In an international learning environment, English is used as a tool for living, studying and communicating among multinational members, including: students, teachers, staff and parents.
However, this does not mean that children will forget their mother tongue and traditional culture. In education, learning a second language or culture is complementary, rather than eliminating or negating previously learned materials. "The more diverse the schools are in terms of nationality, language, culture... the sooner they help students develop intercultural communication skills, a characteristic of global citizens," the speaker emphasized.
Multinational learning environment with foreign teachers, developing bilingualism for children. Photo: ISSP
If approached properly in a second language, students can increase their cognitive abilities and improve their problem-solving skills, developing the strengths that bilingual people often have. In addition, Mr. Nguyen commented that international schools in Vietnam have applied the bilingual model (50% mother tongue, 50% foreign language) or taught foreign languages regularly with less than 20% of foreign language exposure time quite well.
Accordingly, students at international schools have advantages in foreign languages, abilities and degrees certified in many developed countries, from there, easily transferring to other schools around the world.
Extracurricular activities
Tuition fees at international schools often include a wide range of extracurricular activities. In addition to academics, international school students often participate in many artistic and physical activities, explore the world, or even experience foreign countries.
Students take part in a challenge during an ISSP Experience Day program. Photo: ISSP
In particular, schools such as Vietnam Australia International School (VAS), Saigon Pearl International School..., students can participate in many activities to connect family members, join hands to protect protective forests... During the summer, VAS also organizes summer picnics in many countries such as the US, Australia, Japan... for students to experience the living environment, improve soft skills and foreign languages, thereby, being ready for international integration.
In addition to the three factors above, facilities are one of the top criteria that parents care about when deciding to choose an international school for their children. To ensure the teaching of academic, physical and skills programs, units often invest in modern equipment and airy, spacious learning spaces.
Outdoor learning space at international school. Photo: ISSP
For example, the Australian International School (AIS) has a high-quality boarding area that meets the needs of facilities, security and care from teachers. The rooms here are also decorated in a hotel style; or the Asian International School has its own STEM Lab for students to develop scientific knowledge. In addition to international standard classrooms and technology investment, ISSP has many functional rooms for visual arts, music, drama, dance, etc. to help students have fun, develop essential soft skills and develop their talents comprehensively.
Nhat Le
Readers interested in the international school system, see more here
Source link
Comment (0)