Tighten management of private schools and schools with foreign elements

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training has just issued a decision to establish a Department of Private and Foreign-Involved Education under the Department. This comes from practical requirements as the network of these schools in the city develops rapidly and the learning needs of students are increasingly diverse.

Students of Lomonosov Education System (Hanoi). Photo: NTCC.

Tighten management to improve quality

According to the plan of the Hanoi People's Committee to implement Resolution No. 35 dated June 4, 2019 of the Government, the city will promote the mobilization of social resources, promote the development of private educational institutions with the goal of reaching 21% of the number of institutions and 14 - 16% of the number of students by 2025.

Previously, on September 23, the Hanoi People's Committee issued a plan to mobilize social resources to invest in education. The goal is that the number of non-public schools will account for 21% of the total number of schools and 14-16% of the number of students by 2025. The establishment of the Department of Private and Foreign-Involved Education under the Department is one of the first steps of Hanoi to ensure the implementation of the goal of increasing the number of non-public schools as well as ensuring the quality of education. This is also one of the few localities to date that has a department to manage private schools and schools with foreign elements.

However, according to analysis by education experts, this is still a challenging goal in the current context. The city's policy of encouraging students to study in non-public schools is completely reasonable when the increase in the number of students each year puts great pressure on the public school system, while the demand for quality education is increasing. Allocating a large proportion of students to private schools will help reduce the burden on public schools and create more diverse options for parents and students. However, the percentage of students studying in non-public educational institutions depends on many factors such as the ability to mobilize society, the scale of public schools, the rate of streaming into vocational schools, into continuing education centers - vocational education... In particular, the ability to pay tuition fees of students studying in private schools must also be considered, when non-public schools have much higher tuition fees than public schools.

Synchronous solution

According to Master Nguyen Quang Tung - Principal of MV Lomonosov High School (Hanoi), in recent years the school has recruited about 400 students per course. Of these, about 100 are former students from grade 9 of the school, the remaining students are scattered throughout the city. About 200 students have applied to the school since the end of May, the remaining 100 students used the exam scores of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training to apply to the school. Notably, many students who passed the first choice of public schools also registered to study at the school instead of necessarily having to study at public schools.

It is not uncommon for many parents today to place their trust in and choose private schools, schools with foreign elements. However, in some cases, parents and students are frustrated and "don't know who to tell". Like the story of 174 students on the list of admitted students to grade 10 this year at To Hien Thanh High School (Ha Dong District, Hanoi). The reason is that this school has "illegally" recruited students to grade 10 for the 2024-2025 school year even though it was not assigned a quota by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training. Currently, the matter is being resolved by the authorities and units in the spirit of ensuring the rights of the students because the students and their parents are not at fault.

Previously, in early 2024, an incident occurred at the American International School Vietnam (AISVN) - Ho Chi Minh City when nearly 1,400 students had to stop going to school due to a lack of teachers. The reason teachers did not come to school was because they were owed salaries and insurance. Immediately after that, the Ministry of Education and Training sent an official dispatch to the Departments of Education and Training on strengthening state management of the implementation of integrated programs and cooperation with foreign countries in educational institutions.

Through the above incidents, experts propose to strengthen inspection and review of all private educational institutions, those with foreign elements... to ensure compliance with legal regulations. The development of plans and organization of inspection and examination must be focused, key points, and violations (if any) must be strictly and promptly handled. In addition, coordinate with competent authorities to organize propaganda, raise awareness of parents and students, and remind parents and students to carefully study the benefits of participating in investment capital contribution, as well as forms of tuition payment and risks that may occur when participating in such mechanisms and forms.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/siet-quan-ly-truong-tu-thuc-va-co-yeu-to-nuoc-ngoai-10293475.html