Every school year, parents' forums in Ho Chi Minh City debate the issue of air conditioning. Some people support installing air conditioning to make things easier for students, others think renting is more convenient, and others say renting is more expensive than buying.
The debate about air conditioners has never stopped being "hot". Parents ask each other why they pay for air conditioners every year. If students in this class buy them, finish studying for 5 years and give them back to the school, will students in the next class get to enjoy those air conditioners?
The debate about installing air conditioners in classrooms has never stopped being "hot".
Regulations on air conditioning service fees
Resolution 13/2024/NQ-HDND of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council stipulates the collection of "Air-conditioning service for classrooms with air conditioners (electricity bill, air-conditioning maintenance cost, air-conditioning rental cost if any)".
For classes already equipped with air conditioners, the maximum fees for preschool, primary, secondary and high school levels are 50,000, 45,000, 35,000, 35,000 VND/student/month, respectively.
For classes that need to use air conditioning but do not have it and have to rent it, the maximum fees in area 1 (according to each level of education mentioned above) are 110,000, 110,000, 95,000, 95,000 VND/student/month. In area 2, the maximum fees are 100,000, 100,000, 90,000, 90,000 VND/student/month.
A parent living in Thu Duc City (HCMC) asked Thanh Nien reporter: My child is an elementary school student, at the beginning of the year each student paid 60,000 - 70,000 VND to build the electricity grid, is that in accordance with regulations?
Many parents go online to look up the price of air conditioners and do the math: An air conditioner costs about 10 million VND, a class of 40 students, if they buy 2 air conditioners, each student only needs to pay 500,000 VND. 2 machines, used for 5 years of school. If they rent, one student pays 55,000 VND/month, the whole class pays 2.2 million VND/month, one school year (9 months) pays 19.8 million VND, 5 years of school costs 99 million VND for renting air conditioners, more expensive than buying. Why not buy it now to save money?
B AN REPRESENTATIVES OF PARENTS AND SCHOOLS ALSO SUFFER FROM AIR CONDITIONING
Ms. NH, a member of the parents' representative board of a primary school in District 1 (HCMC), said that the first few weeks when the children started first grade were a "heated debate" among dozens of members of the class about buying an air conditioner. Some supported it, others said that children needed to adapt to the environment and should not sit in the air conditioner all day... Once all the parents agreed to install an air conditioner, the next step was what type to buy, how many horses (horsepower), how much it cost, where to buy it...
The parents' representative committee also had a hard time getting permission from the school to install the air conditioner, working with the contractor, monitoring the monthly cleaning of the air conditioner, calling a repairman when the machine broke down, and then having to hire a worker to move the air conditioner to a new classroom during the summer break... "It's hard work, but we do it for the students. The weather in Ho Chi Minh City is hot, especially in the dry season, dozens of students eat lunch and take a nap at the boarding school, without air conditioning, both teachers and students are exhausted," said Ms. NH.
The principal of an elementary school in Thu Duc City told Thanh Nien reporters: Installing air conditioners is the wish of parents who want their children to have a better learning environment, not the school's policy, but when parents have a wish, the school will support within its capacity. However, to install air conditioners in classrooms, it is related to wiring, power transmission, school aesthetics and costs money. Public schools are not allowed to approve budgets for this, so parents who want to install air conditioners in their children's classrooms must agree and contribute together.
This principal gave an example that in the 2023-2024 school year, 6 classes asked to install air conditioners and share the school's power line. However, because the power line could not handle the load, the school asked the electricity company to install additional meters and the classes had to use separate power lines (4 classes at campus 2, each class costing nearly 4 million VND; 2 classes at campus 1, each class costing nearly 5 million VND). In the 2024-2025 school year, the need for air conditioners in the classes increased, the school's parents' representative board proposed a plan to share a power line to ensure safety, school aesthetics and reduce costs for the classes, the estimated cost for 35 classes is about more than 84 million VND, an average of about 2.5 million VND per class. If the parents agree, they will share the contribution, build the power line and install air conditioners.
Install air conditioners in classrooms to provide students with a better learning environment.
ILLUSTRATION: THUY HANG
IS IT EASY TO INSTALL AIR CONDITIONING IN SCHOOLS?
Engineer Nguyen Huu Vinh Quan, graduated from the Thermal Engineering Department (University of Technology - Ho Chi Minh City National University), said: "To install air conditioners, the electrical wiring system in the school must be able to handle the starting load of electrical equipment, including air conditioners in the electrical system, and must be calculated and designed from the beginning. If there is an electrical load (in this case, air conditioners), it is necessary to re-evaluate whether the existing system can meet this load or not. If not, the electrical system must be re-calculated and re-constructed to avoid overloading, causing unsafe fires and explosions."
Electrical engineer Quoc Huy (Manh Phuong Electrical Company) explained: "The installation of air conditioners for classrooms in schools must ensure the following criteria: electrical safety, electrical wires must be well insulated to ensure safety and prevent fire and explosion; aesthetics. In particular, for old schools, it is necessary to check whether the walls, ceilings or roofs... are sturdy and install glass doors for classrooms to keep the temperature good and prevent noise. In addition, when installing air conditioners in classrooms, schools need to pay attention to the drainage system of the air conditioner and whether the heat dissipation of the condenser affects the surrounding environment or not."
Mr. Quoc Huy added that in order to install air conditioners in schools, first, it is necessary to recalculate the capacity of the devices currently in use (lights, fans, televisions, etc.); the total number of air conditioners that need to be installed; the capacity of each machine and the total capacity of the air conditioners that need to be installed. Second, it is necessary to review the capacity of the main electrical cabinet or transformer station of the school.
"If the total capacity of the current part in use and the planned additional air conditioning system is larger than the capacity of the main electrical cabinet or transformer station of the school, it is necessary to invest in a larger transformer station, electrical cabinet, and meter to meet the demand. At the same time, invest in a system of electrical pipes, wires, circuit breakers, etc. for the planned additional air conditioning system. This costs a lot of money," electrical engineer Quoc Huy emphasized.
In case the total capacity of the current part in use and the planned additional air conditioner is smaller than the capacity of the main electrical cabinet or transformer station of the school, it is only necessary to invest in the electrical pipe system, electric wire, circuit breaker, etc. for the planned additional air conditioner system, Mr. Huy said.
Therefore, it is not simple for any school to buy air conditioners and install them at will. That is also the reason why many schools choose to rent air conditioners because the legality is clear, the lessor is fully responsible for the wiring, electrical safety, fire prevention, maintenance, periodic gas pumping, etc.
Parents contribute to building a happy school
Expert Tran Thi Que Chi, Deputy Director of the Institute of Educational Sciences and Training (IES), said: The responsibility for building a healthy and happy school lies with both the school and the parents. The school board needs to listen to and accept the opinions of parents and students, and pay more attention to the students' thoughts and feelings... Parents' comments and contributions to the school need to be sincere and constructive; and the school, when receiving comments and letters from parents, needs to be receptive and respectful of each other. Both young parents and the school share the same goal of caring for and educating students to become good people. This further affirms the role of the parent-teacher association and the school. Close and effective coordination in a polite, fair and civilized manner is also the best way to educate students.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-nam-hoc-nao-cung-nong-chuyen-may-lanh-185241027223706275.htm
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