It is peak time for nursery and primary schools to receive applications for new students in Ho Chi Minh City. Parents seek schools for their children within an overloaded system, as the number of students desiring enrollment far surpassing schools’ capacity.

Parents worry

Phan Thi Ngoc Mai from District 11 said that since the beginning of June, she has continuously visited a nursery school nearby her house in the hopes of enrolling her child, but the school has yet to reveal their enrollment plan.

The Nguyen Binh Khiem Primary School staff guides parents as they complete and submit applications for their children(Photo: SGGP)

Similarly, Ngoc Bich from Tan Binh District, wants her child to study at the nearby 13 Nursery School, has yet to hear word from the school about admitting new students.

She recalled last year’s enrolling season when she woke up at 4am to submit documents for her sister’s child, though her efforts were to no avail.

Meanwhile, several parents in the area described their obsession of jostling schools in hopes of registering their children.

Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, head of nursery school division of the city Department of Education and Training, said that several nursery schools’ management boards have tasked security guards to receive applications instead of staff assigned for this purpose.

Security guards could not explain the enrollment procedures nor answer parents’ questions, she said.

Le Ngoc Diep, head of the department’s primary school division, said that nursery schools have appeared indifferent to the requests of parents. To meet school managers, parents usually have to wait for a long time, but still fail to meet them, as they always find ways to parry.

Schools overloaded

Primary schools in District 1 are already overcrowded for the new school year.

Le Thi Ngoc Diep, principle of Nguyen Binh Khiem Primary School, said that the number of students who applied to study at the school is always higher each year, forcing the school to cease receiving more applications. During the enrollment season, schoolteachers and staff have to work continuously.

Principle of the 19-5 Nursery School, Nguyen Thi Kim Dung, said that the District 1’s Da Kao Ward has three nursery schools, all of which are overloaded each time the enrollment season comes.

Some other principles described their headache caused by fielding parents’ continuous calls and from dealing with them showing up to schools to ask about enrolling information.

However, the principles said that they could not receive students in numbers that exceed regulations.

On the other hand, the schools are only permitted to reveal enrollment plans if districts’ departments of education and training have approved them. As a result, the schools themselves also have to wait as parents.

According to the city Department of Education and Training, to prepare for the enrollment period, schools should make public everything including enrollment plans, norms, and dates to deliver and receive documents. Additionally, they should provide consultants to serve parents.

For cases where schools are forced to refuse new applicants altogether, they should clearly explain to obtain parents’ sympathy.

Source: SGGP