LookAtVietnam – Under the current regulations, students of state-owned primary schools are exempt from tuitions. Still, parents would rather pay tuition.

At the beginning of each semester, twice a school year, parents receive notice on the fees they must pay for their children’s study. Parents have long complained that these fees are ridiculous.

With a so in the 5^th grade, Toan explained that he must pay 150,000 or 200,000 to the school development fund each year. The school called on parents to contribute money for cement one year, and then for tile in the school yard the next. Toan stated that he and other parents must contribute money, though they really did not want to, because they worry that their children would be “hated” by teachers if they did not pay.

Monetary contributions are considered as a kind of volunteer work and parents sign a paper stating that they voluntarily gave the money.

Parents not only have to contribute money to the school fund, but to class funds as well. What are the class funds? In theory, the fund is for gifts to award to good students, but in reality the money is mostly used for teacher gifts at Tet or on special occasions.

Returning from a parents’ meeting to review student progress in the first semester, Lien, who has a son studying at Quang An Primary School, was asked to pay 300,000 dong to the class fund. At first, the proposal to contribute 300,000 dong faced opposition from many parents. They conceded in the end because they don’t want teachers to single out their children.

Toan contributed money to build the school yard and felt happy because he thought his son would be safe playing on the school grounds. Toan rejoiced in vain because the school provides a car parking service and tens of cars drive on the new school yard every day.

The school is also providing a car cleaning service. As the result, the school yard is always flooded with water.

“We contributed money to build the school yard. However, the school yard has turned out to be the ideal car park,” he grumbled.

Lien estimated that the class fund of her son has 15 million dong, a big sum of money, but her son received an “excellent student” award of only two textbooks.

Lien revealed that the class decided to purchase a TV and a video player for the students, but her son said that the video player broke after just several days.

VietNamNet/VnMedia