The incident at Saigon Star International School has attracted public attention, and also raised many questions about information transparency and management gaps at schools teaching international programs and schools with foreign elements in Ho Chi Minh City.
Saigon Star International School campus in Thanh My Loi ward, Thu Duc city (HCMC) will be subject to compulsory enforcement of judgment this December - Photo: TRONG NHAN
It is hard to believe that the major dispute between Saigon Star and related parties over the land that is the main teaching headquarters of the school for nearly 300 students has been going on for more than four years, with the school losing the lawsuit many times.
However, most parents said they did not receive information about the school's situation.
School responsibilities
The primary responsibility lies with the school for its lack of transparency with its "customers". Not only does the school conceal information from current parents, it also deliberately conceals information from new parents.
Specifically, on May 3, 2024, the Thu Duc City Civil Judgment Enforcement Office issued a decision to enforce the judgment against the school, and on July 29, 2024, sent a notice to the school requesting public disclosure of information on the termination of educational activities at the current location.
This means that the school knew it would be forced to pay, but after this period of time, it still signed many tuition contracts worth hundreds of thousands, even billions of VND with new parents. A typical example is Ms. G. - the person who reported to Tuoi Tre - who signed a contract with the school in October 2024, worth up to 1.06 billion VND in tuition for her child for 5 years from 2024 - 2029.
Ms. G. said: "I feel like I was cheated because before signing the agreement to pay long-term tuition, my family did not receive any information related to the dispute or the problems Saigon Star is facing."
The Thu Duc City Civil Judgment Enforcement Office also said that the school deliberately concealed information about the forced execution of the judgment to return the premises in order to continue collecting money from parents.
Therefore, on November 28, 2024, this office sent an official dispatch to the Thu Duc City Civil Judgment Enforcement Steering Committee, Thu Duc City People's Procuracy, and Thu Duc City Police Department requesting direction to support enforcement of judgments and check information on the school's tuition collection.
If there are signs of intentional concealment of information about the enforcement of the judgment in order to appropriate parents' money when there is no longer a place to operate, it will be handled according to the provisions of law.
Current status of the new facility at 577 National Highway 13. Many parents do not believe that this facility can welcome students on February 12, 2025, so they decided to transfer their children to another school - Photo: TRONG NHAN
Where to find information?
In cases where schools deliberately conceal information like this, where can parents rely on transparency?
In fact, many parents of Saigon Star School said that it was not until November 2024, when public notices were posted at the school by the Thu Duc City Civil Judgment Enforcement Office, that they learned that the school would be forced to close.
So during the long period before this dispute, who was responsible for informing parents?
Should it first be the authorities of Thu Duc City, where the school is located and where the disputed land is located?
In addition, according to the investment certificate issued by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Saigon Star International Company Limited is allowed to operate Saigon Star International School (including International Kindergarten and Saigon Star International Primary School) on a 7,654m² land plot in Thanh My Loi residential area, Thu Duc City.
According to the content of the investment certificate, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee requires enterprises to send periodic reports to the Department of Education and Training and relevant authorities during their operations. So is it true that the responsibility still lies with the Department of Education and Training, which should have promptly issued recommendations?
In addition, according to document No. 2989/SGDĐT-KHTC dated May 16, 2024, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City requested Saigon Star School not to enroll new students in the 2024-2025 school year. However, the school still deliberately ignored this directive.
According to parents, enrollment activities not only continued but also took place vigorously, accompanied by sophisticated tuition collection. School staff were said to have actively offered tuition packages.
Is it the responsibility of Thu Duc City or the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City that a school that is not allowed to enroll new students is still "noisily" recruiting students?
Parent support channel
Management agencies should consider building support channels so that parents can easily complain or find information related to international schools.
Legal and regulatory information such as lists of licensed international schools, license durations and educational standards should be widely publicized.
At the same time, the management agency must also be transparent about violations and handling measures, and regularly issue recommendations so that parents and students can promptly grasp them.
Strong measures needed
To ensure the rights of students and parents, it is necessary to have strong mechanisms and measures to force international schools to strictly comply with legal regulations and be transparent in all activities.
First, information about the operating license, investor, school size and facilities must be clearly disclosed on official channels. Schools need to be transparent about tuition fees, refund policies, as well as other accompanying fees, to avoid "hidden fees" that upset parents.
In addition, there should be regulations requiring schools to ensure information about the curriculum, teaching staff and internationally accredited standards so that parents can clearly understand the quality of education.
In the event of a dispute or legal change, the school must promptly and fully notify parents to avoid affecting the student's study plan. Periodic reporting to the education management agency must also be done on time and publicly so that relevant parties can monitor.
The school owner is being sought by Ho Chi Minh City Police.
Before the time when public opinion was stirred up about the land seizure and parents demanding to withdraw tuition fees, Ms. Vo Thi Phuong Thao - owner of Saigon Star School - was also sought by Ho Chi Minh City Police since January 2024.
Accordingly, Ms. Vo Thi Phuong Thao (born in 1981, permanent residence at 243 L2 Hai Thuong Lan Ong, Ward 13, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City) is being sought by the Criminal Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police for "fraudulent appropriation of property" since January 2024.
Ho Chi Minh City police request that anyone who discovers Ms. Thao's whereabouts report to Team 4 of the Criminal Police Department (address 459 Tran Hung Dao, Cau Kho Ward, District 1), meet investigator Vo Thanh Tuan, phone 0764.964.214.
According to the latest business registration certificate, Saigon Star International Company Limited is legally represented by Ms. Vo Thi Phuong Thao, general director, holding 90.9% of the company's capital contribution. The remaining shares belong to Mr. Tran Van Thuc, an Australian citizen, Ms. Thao's husband.
Also according to the above certificate, the head office address has been changed to 577 National Highway 13, Ward 5, Hiep Binh Phuoc Ward, Thu Duc City (HCMC). This is also the new address that the school has emailed to notify, replacing the current facility in Thanh My Loi Ward, Thu Duc City, which will be subject to enforcement.
Previously, the school announced that from December 7, 2024, it will begin repairing and renovating the current state of the new facility.
From December 14, 2024 to February 12, 2025, the school will temporarily move its operations to National Highway 13 and begin accepting students back on February 12, 2025 at the facility at 577 National Highway 13, Hiep Binh Phuoc Ward, Thu Duc City.
From February 12 to July 31, 2025, continue to complete legal documents; renovate the current status and expand and build new classrooms, functional rooms and outdoor playgrounds for students...
However, according to many parents, this route is impossible because the time is too short while the current status of land plot number 577 National Highway 13, Hiep Binh Phuoc ward is "nothing".
Therefore, many parents asked the school to refund the tuition fees they had paid, but so far they have not received any response from the school.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vu-truong-quoc-te-ngoi-sao-sai-gon-saigon-star-nhung-cau-hoi-ve-lo-hong-minh-bach-thong-tin-20241216081948437.htm
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