At the beginning of each school year, the role of the parent-teacher association always becomes a hot topic, attracting the attention of many parents and teachers. Does the parent association truly represent the voice of parents and fulfill its role and duties?

The Forum on the Role of Parents' Associations in Schools , organized by the Education section of VietNamNet, hopes to listen to opinions, shares and contributions from parents, teachers and those interested in the country's education to develop practical solutions to this problem.

In the article below, Dr. Nguyen Hoang Chuong, former Principal of Loc Phat High School (Bao Loc District, Lam Dong) suggests some solutions to limit the situation of Parents' Representative Board overcharging and not performing its functions properly.

The role of the parent-teacher association has always attracted public attention both inside and outside the education sector. When asked whether or not this association should exist in schools, many opinions suggested its immediate abolition, but there were also shares about the positive and humane activities of the parent-teacher association of classes and schools in this and that place.

Recently, on the afternoon of October 3, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City also gave its opinion after many opinions suggested abolishing the parents' association to avoid overcharging. According to the Department, the activities of this association are regulated in Circular 55 of the Ministry of Education and Training. The parents' association is responsible for coordinating with teachers to organize educational activities, help students and prepare the content of parent meetings.

The board's operating budget comes from voluntary donations and sponsorships. Circular 55 clearly states that the board is not allowed to collect money if it is not voluntary or does not directly serve the board's activities; the board's funds are not used to purchase machinery, equipment, or teaching aids for schools, classes, or teachers.

With the above regulations, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City believes that schools need to promote the dissemination of regulations so that parents can clearly understand, thereby promoting the role and tasks of the board.

I am a teacher, with many years of experience in managing high schools, and sometimes I am stuck between two streams of thought: "What is the parents' association's crime that we should abandon it?", or "Should we abolish the parents' representative board?". I am angry, but I am not at peace. It is difficult to deny the "merit" of the parents' association in connecting parents, being a bridge between families and schools... But if the parents' representative board is just an "extended arm" of the principal, especially when it sets out all kinds of "voluntary" amounts of money, the school has, is, and will suffer bad consequences.

Specifically, recently, the story of a primary school teacher in Ho Chi Minh City asking parents to sponsor laptops or the parent representative board of a high school in Binh Dinh mobilizing money to buy 7 televisions for 50 million VND caused public outrage. In particular, many parents assessed that the role and activities of the parent representative board were not commensurate with initial expectations, causing this association to be unintentionally "labeled" as a "money collection association" every new school year.

Here, I propose two groups of solutions to help cure the "disease" of overcharging school fees.

Fight against overcharging with the 4 C's

Publicly and transparently disclose the revenues on each school's website to all teachers, parents and students.

Rectify school fee collection through supervision, inspection and examination by the education sector, functional departments and agencies, and local organizations.

There are sanctions for those who directly or indirectly cause overcharging, such as: homeroom teachers, heads of parent committees, principals, vice principals, and accountants. Depending on the severity of the violation, the disciplinary level is warning, dismissal, and recommendation for criminal prosecution.

The entire political system is involved, considering the fight against overcharging as an important task. If overcharging school fees occurs, the head must be appropriately disciplined. Previously, in 2023, the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province also issued a document emphasizing strict punishment for the head if overcharging occurs and the responsibility of the state management agency for education if overcharging or illegal collection occurs. If we are strict, how can overcharging school fees exist? The parents' committee now functions properly, there will be no more endless debates about who this committee represents, whether to abolish it or not?

Long term solution

We need to strongly develop non-public schools and public schools with financial autonomy. On that basis, there will be one and only one source of income in public schools: Tuition. Any other source of income collected by any agency or organization will be directly paid by the parents of the students.

Public schools located in disadvantaged areas, areas with low quality, and specialized schools - the State budget ensures all educational activities according to the principle of "no school is left behind".

Every year, based on the approved education plan, the principal proposes tuition fees for consideration and decision by competent authorities (for public schools in the remaining regions).

Students try to attend the appropriate type of school. Encourage them to study on their own and learn for life. Students are given the opportunity to study well, study easily, and study when required (by themselves, their families, etc.).

We need to invest in Continuing Education and Vocational Training Centers so that these units can play a good role in supporting people when they need to study. Continuing education is essential in a learning society. Eliminate overcharging for schools so that schools become exemplary and humane, contributing to creating studious families, laying the foundation for the country to develop strongly.

Parents are surprised by a series of class funds when their children transfer from private to public schools . After having his child study hard to get into a top public high school, at the first parent meeting of the school year, Mr. Luu felt his ears ring when he heard the parent committee announce the fund contributions.