Parents in Hanoi are anxiously pushing to acquire the best ‘seats’ in a first-grade prestigious school for their children, even though primary schools will only begin their enrollment in July.

All parents understand that they have to open their purse strings if they want their children to attend a school of their choice. There is no limited cost to an enrollment in a prestigious school. The cost of one admission could go up to thousands of US dollars.

Parents persistent

One mother living on Le Trong Tan Street in Thanh Xuan District wanted her child to study at a primary school in Hai Ba Trung District, because it is close to her company and hence convenient for her to pick and drop him to school.

She was determined to find a seat for her child in this school even if it meant having to pay more. She has already forked out US$1,200 for a seat for her child.

Some parents have given up to US$3,000 to reserve a seat at a prestigious primary school in Hai Ba Trung District, which is known for its friendly education environment and a healthy student-teacher relationship.

For medium standard schools, the going rate is between US$300 and US$800.

A mother who had applied for her son to study in a special class at K.T primary school said even though the school is a medium standard school, she had to spend US$1,000 for admission.

Another primary school near K.T primary school has been evaluated as the best school in the area. If parents want to admit their children to this school, they have to spend thousands of US dollars. However, they cannot apply unless they are recommended by a known person.

Parents find loopholes

Nguyen Van Truong, vice chairman of the Ha Dong District Peoples’ Committee, said there is no problem if you see the ratio of primary schools in the district to the number of students in the area.

However, due to imbalance in population distribution with people moving to new urban areas, the pressure of enrollment in public schools has increased, he added.

Since procedures for registration of temporary residence were simplified, schools have had to make their own adjustments to these regulations while selecting pupils. For instance, they can only admit pupils who have registered for temporary residence 1-2 years before their school admission year.

Parents have therefore looked for loopholes to admit their kids to these schools, even using relatives or friends names from family record books to show the child’s temporary residency.

As a result, a household in Hoan Kiem District living in a 30 square meter house could have nearly ten kids registered in its family record book.

Cao Thi Bich Lan, vice chairperson of the Hoan Kiem District Peoples’ Committee, has asked the city Peoples’ Committee to tighten management and surveillance on residence registrations especially during the school enrollment season to prevent improper registration.

Nguyen Duy Long, head of the Dong Da District’s Department of Education and Training, said after the Kim Lien apartment building in the district was rebuilt, the number of children entering first-grade has risen to 550, double the number last year.

The increasing number has put pressure on primary schools around the area, especially on Kim Lien Primary School.

Nam Thanh Cong area, where there are two 30-floor apartments and office buildings, 538 children are preparing to enter first-grade class.

Though Nam Thanh Cong Primary School allows a 50-pupil class for first grade, it can only organize a maximum of nine classes. Hence, nearly 100 pupils will face difficulty in getting admission into schools.

Source: TTXVN/SGGP