The new school year will begin in September. However, right now, parents have become busy bringing their children to extra classes to prepare them for the first class.

The annoucement for enrolling students for handwriting practice classes

Everyday, the centre has three learning shifts, from 9.30-11:00 am, from 5.30-7:00 pm, and from 7:00-8:20 pm. Saturday and Sunday have one extra shift, from 8:00-9.30 am.

Children have to go to the classes three times a week, while their parents have to pay VND600,000 for 15 shifts of learning. The students of teacher Mai Dong are not only children from Hanoi, but also from neighboring provinces, including the distant Lao Cai province.

T., who is now the deputy head of a primary school in Cau Giay district in Hanoi, is also a famous teacher for handwriting practicing. T. does not have her own centre, but she still teaches several children at her home.

A lot of retired primary school teachers have established extra classes to prepare children for the first year of primary education. Teacher Thu on P.H Street in Hoan Kiem district in Hanoi, is one of them. The children going to Thu’s classes can learn in accordance with the curriculum for 1^st class, as if they are really 1^st class students.

… because parents fear their children’s inferiority to friends

Mai Phuong, who has a daughter entering the first class in September, said she has to bring her daughter to the extra classes to learn the curriculum for 1^st class in advance. Phuong said all parents think the way she thinks. Therefore, if Phuong does not bring her child to the extra classes, the child will not be able to catch up with classmates when she really goes to primary school.

Most local education and training departments do not allow primary schools to organize extra classes to prepare students for the first class. The problem is that several schools test students to select the most capable students for the schools. Therefore, parents do not have other choices but to bring their children to extra classes organized by the schools themselves.

Chung, who lives in Nam Dong residential quarter, related that his grandson goes to an extra class, on Hang Trong Street, three times a week, for which he has to pay VND500,000 a month.

The tuition for the extra classes proves to be very different. Those parents, who bring their children to Ha Hoi Handwriting Practicing Center will have to pay VND2 million for a training course, a big sum of money for medium-income earners.

VietNamNet/NLD