The time from March to June is always the ‘hot’ time for parents rushing to lobby for permission to send their children to ‘star’ schools.

In order to be able to send the child to a school in district 1, Binh and her husband are planning to purchase a house in district 1, which is thought to have the most expensive real estate prices in Vietnam.

“My son will go to 1^st class next year. Therefore, we need to purchase a house right now, so that we can have enough time for getting ho khau (the residence registration book) which we must show to the school’s leaders when we bring our son to school,” Binh said.

Tam is now living in district 3 of the city, which has been well known for impressive achievements in teaching and learning. Many parents would be happy to send their children to schools in district 3. However, Tam thinks otherwise.

“The school where I can send my child is not a ‘star’ school. It is small and old, and located near the railway station. I have been told that students have to wade in the rainy season,” Tam said.

“Moreover, the school is contiguous to district 10, or 7-8 km from my house. I’m afraid of travelling such a long distance to bring my son to school every day,” she added.

Tam has been ‘eyeing’ two schools in district 1 and district 3 for her child and she has been trying to contact a VIP she knows to solicit for a seat for her child at one of the schools.

Cuc in Tan Phu district was jealous when hearing that her neighbour had successfully got a seat for her child at Dong Da Primary School in Tan Binh district. To date, Cuc has not got any promise from the school’s leader to allow her child to study there.

“I have been told that every student has to pay VND8mil for permission to go to the school,” she said.

Fathers and mothers who have children entering first class after the summer have been whispering in each other’s ears that the cost for permission to bring children to ‘star’ schools has been escalating. This means that only rich parents can send their children to good schools.

Is it worth it?

In HCM City, districts 1 and 3 are considered the localities which gather most of the famous general schools with good teaching achievements. In district 1, these schools include primary schools Le Ngoc Han, Tran Hung Dao, Hoa Binh, Dinh Tien Hoang and Nguyen Binh Khiem. In district 3, Nguyen Thai Son, Luong Dinh Cua and Tran Quoc Thao are well known to parents and students.

All parents in the city dream of sending their children to the schools in the two districts, even though they might have to travel a long distance to get there.

When asked why they have been trying to send their children to the schools, parents say that they want their children to be able to learn at good schools which can provide high-quality teaching.

“We have to send our children to the best schools for our financial condition,” Tam said.

Tam related that her elder son, who entered first class six years ago, was lucky enough to be enrolled into a leading school in district 1.

“My son, thanks to his good teacher, has changed a lot since he first went to school. He has turned from a shy boy, who had difficulty expressing himself, into an obedient boy who learns very well,” she said.

Other parents also say that they are ready to pay big sums of money if their children can go to good schools.

In fact, the Ministry of Education and Training and local authorities have been trying to prevent the trend of soliciting for seats at good schools. However, the efforts have not been really successful. Meanwhile, parents have every reason to continue soliciting. They say that they have the right to send their children to good schools, so that they can learn well and grow into good people.

Le Quynh – Minh Quyen