LookAtVietnam – Parents are complaining that it is too costly to bring children to school nowadays and different fees are a burden.

However, parents of students of Nguyen Thuong Hien Primary School in Go Vap District in HCM City have to pay four kinds of ‘school facilities fee’. These include the fee set by the HCM City Education and Training Department, the fee required from school students, the fee to be contributed to the education support fund and a further fee set by every class.

One mother said that she has to pay nine kinds of fee when the school year began. She also had to pay 150,000 dong to the education support fund and 300,000 dong to contribute to the purchase of an LCD screen. The parent said that the screen cost 12 million dong, and each of the 45 students of the class has to contribute towards it.

Parents of other classes complain that they have to contribute money to purchase overhead projectors, new window curtains and even items to decorate classrooms. Parents have also been asked to paint old classrooms and decorate rooms.

Parents complain that the sums of money they have to pay really burden them. Meanwhile students say that teachers rarely use the modern equipment in lessons.

Nguyen Thuong Hien school is known for its school uniforms. In break time, you can see students of the schools in uniforms with many colours.

A parent said that students have to wear green uniforms on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and orange uniforms on Tuesday and Thursday. Uniforms also help differentiate those studying all day and those that just attend for half days.

The parent complained it is difficult for her to remember what uniform her child needs to wear for everyday.

Minh Quyen