Grammar schools
in Hanoi have expressed their worries that they cannot meet the requirements
set by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) on the areas for school
yards because of the limited land fund.

The
inter-ministerial circular of the MOET and Healthcare which will take effect on
June 12,
stipulates that schools must reserve 40-50 percent of their total land areas
for school yards. Meanwhile, the area for verdure must account for 20-40
percent of the total areas.

The
circular also stipulates schools must not be located in the places where
students may face risks, such as key transport routes, mountain foothills,
along rivers, streams. Schools also must not be located in the areas where
there are toxic gases, smoke, dust, noise. They must be situated far from train
stations, petroleum stores, markets, rubbish dumps.

The
new regulations have caused worries to school headmasters, who believe that
very few schools in the inner city can meet the requirements because of the
limited land fund.

Meanwhile,
analysts have pointed out that the regulations prove be unfeasible, because
only a lot of schools now do not have enough classrooms, while many other
schools have to set up classrooms in rental houses, and the so-called “school
yards” are just the space at residential quarters or terraces of buildings.

School yards shrinking in big cities

The
Ba Trieu Primary School has been well known as the school with no school yard
in Hanoi. The school headmaster is now an old and small 3-storey building with
the modest space of 10 square meters in front. For many years, Hanoians
have got used to seeing the students of the school do physical exercises, play,
salute the national flag and perform songs on the pavement.

The
school’s management board said that teachers and students of the schools rejoiced many times in vain,
because they were told that they would have a new school, but no actual changes
have been made.

The
students of Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School in Ba Dinh district, for many years, have been studying in
the classrooms located in Kim Ma Thuong Village’s Communal House. Ten
classrooms are set up in the 1000 square meter area, next to the worshipping place
with strict regulations. Therefore, students here cannot play and do physical
exercises as they want.

The
Nguyen Truong To High School was listed among the schools which lacked material
facilities in the 2011-2012 academic year. The school yard is located on the 8^th
floor of a building, which the Hanoi Education and Training Department believes
“is not safe for students”. Nguyen Van Thuy, the school’s headmaster explained:
“We have to reserve other areas for classrooms”.

In
fact, many schools in Hanoi were initially designed with school yards. However,
since the number of students has been increasing steadily year after year, the
school yards have been shrunk to give place to classrooms.

Hanoi
has many schools famous for their learning and teaching achievements, but the
schools are also well known for the low ratios of the school areas on the
numbers of students. These include Trung Vuong, Nguyen Du, Quang Trung, Tran
Quoc Toan Primary Schools, Ngo Si Lien Secondary School, Kim Lien and Thang
Long High Schools.

Schools still far from meeting
standards

Nguyen
Tung Lam, Headmaster of Dinh Tien Hoang High School in Hanoi, has warned that
if MOET considers the areas of school yards when assessing schools, most of the
schools in Hanoi will not meet the standards.

Thuy
from Nguyen Truong To School, also said that the required area for school yard proves to
be out of reach of schools. In current circumstances, schools only wish to have
a small space for students to enjoy the fresh air.

Leaders
of some education sub-departments in Hanoi have frankly said that the
requirements set by MOET will only be met if local authorities provide land to
build new schools.

Source: Tien phong