The chaotic situation of parents at the American International School Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City Ms. Ha, District 7, said she lent AISVN 600,000 USD (nearly 15 billion VND) so her 3 children could study for free, but is now in trouble because the school's operations are erratic.

Ms. Hong Ha said she paid $400,000 for her two children to study at the American International School Vietnam (AISVN) five years ago. According to the contract, when the children finished 12 years of study or moved away, the school would return the money, which would be considered free education. Therefore, three years ago, she paid an additional $200,000 for her youngest child.

On March 18, AISVN announced that more than 1,200 students would be off school because their teachers did not show up. The school owner said that he owed them about two months of salary and social insurance and that teaching had not yet been stabilized.

Ms. Ha's two eldest children have only been studying for 4 years, while her youngest daughter has only been in school for a month.

"This is a shock to the family because we have invested such a large amount of money," said Ms. Ha.

Ms. Hai Anh, a parent of an 11th grade student, and Mr. Phuoc Nguyen, who has two children in grades 7 and 10, also said they have participated in the investment package with an amount of 2.5-5 billion VND.

Parents say they are in a "dilemma". If they stay at school, their children's education will not go anywhere and may be unfinished. If they move, finding a suitable school and program will not be easy, and parents will consider it a loss of money because the school is facing serious financial difficulties.

AISVN school classroom without teachers or students on the morning of March 19. Photo: Provided by parents — A classroom at AISVN school, morning of March 19. Photo: *Provided by parents*

In the past few days, Ms. Hai Anh has been feeling like she is sitting on a hot bed, having her work and life turned upside down because of her child’s schoolwork. She said that teachers in various departments have been absent for the past three weeks, and many days her child only attends 3-5 periods.

The IBDP (International Baccalaureate Diploma) program follows the teaching and assessment standards of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). According to her, teachers have quit en masse, so the learning and assessment of students have been affected. She has contacted international schools that teach IB in Ho Chi Minh City but has not achieved any results.

An expert with many years of experience managing and operating international schools in Ho Chi Minh City, explained that IBDP is a universal program that is recognized and used for admission to many universities around the world . IBO allows students to transfer schools in the middle of the school year. However, because they have to choose 6 out of many subjects and levels (basic or advanced) right from grade 11, if they want to transfer, the new school must also have those subjects at the same level. Not to mention, each school may have different detailed teaching content, materials, and sequences.

This person assessed that the IBDP program is inherently "heavy", and the above reasons make transferring schools in the middle of the school year very difficult, which is a big disadvantage for students in grades 11 and 12. In particular, the exam to get the diploma of grade 12 students is very close.

The principal of another international school said that if accepted, students may have to repeat some subjects. That is why, although many AISVN parents have applied, she is still considering.

"Because this involves students' long-term learning interests," she explained.

Ho Chi Minh City currently has about 35 international schools, of which 7 teach the IB program. If the transfer is successful, whether continuing with the IB program or switching to A-level or Cambridge, according to Ms. Hong Ha, it will still be a financial burden.

"Parents have to pay tuition at the new school, about 500-900 million VND a year. Because the child is still young, they will need to pay for another 5-10 years," Ms. Ha calculated.

A group of parents are thinking about transferring their children to a bilingual public or private school.

According to them, there are private schools that are willing to accept them and reduce tuition fees, but many people are concerned because their children have been studying English with American curriculum since childhood. Meanwhile, private schools only teach some subjects in English, but still follow the public curriculum.

"I'm worried that my child will have difficulty adapting," said one parent.

Those looking to public schools have additional concerns. Thu Thuy, a seventh-grade parent, said she looked to a high-quality public school in District 7, but the school refused to accept students transferring mid-year.

An official from the Department said that the Ministry of Education and Training has regulations on converting from a foreign program to a Vietnamese program, which is quite complicated. Parents need to confirm the program they are studying. The new school will base on that to consider its ability to meet the requirements because many subjects are only available in the Vietnamese program and vice versa. Admission and class placement are decided after assessing the student's ability.

Not only are parents confused about school, they are also worried about losing money on signed contracts . They said that depending on the time, each contract is worth 100,000-200,000 USD for one student. Some people pay for three or four children to attend school.

"I don't remember, the accountant knows the exact number," said Nguyen Thi Ut Em, the school's owner, when answering VnExpress on the night of March 18 about the total investment amount from parents.

Last September, dozens of people gathered at the gate of AISVN school to demand debt because the school had not returned the money a year after their children graduated.

Parents come to AISVN to demand money, afternoon of September 21, 2023. Photo: Provided by parents — Parents come to AISVN to demand money, afternoon of September 21, 2023. Photo: *Provided by parents*

On the afternoon of March 21, at the city’s press conference, Ms. Le Thuy My Chau, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Departmentof Education and Training, said that the owner of AISVN school committed to finding investment funds within a week to restructure and maintain operations. At the same time, the Department requested education departments, public, private, and foreign-invested schools to create conditions for AISVN students to transfer.

Parents say there is no specific solution. Each family is still struggling.

Ms. Hai Anh and a group of about 160 people want to work directly with the school board, pay extra money to partly pay teachers' salaries, and try to maintain operations until the end of the year.

"Transferring schools right now will negatively affect my child's studies. I still want my child to complete the school year at AISVN, then find another suitable school," said Ms. Hai Anh.

Mr. Phuoc Nguyen said that this method is "like a drop in the ocean". Because in October 2023, Ms. Ut Em called on parents to pay more money to "save" the school. Many people paid but the problem was not solved. He is contacting several schools to prepare for the worst case scenario.

Ms. Hong Ha has decided to transfer schools. She said she needs to prioritize her child's education and will calculate the tuition at AISVN later.

"The school year ends in two months, and I have to transfer to an equivalent international school so my children can complete the program. If they are later, they will have to repeat a year."

Le Nguyen

*Parents' names have been changed

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