Provincial People's Council listens to difficulties at non-public schools

(Baonghean.vn) - The State needs to review, evaluate and invest, properly demonstrating the socialization policy of "State and people working together" for non-public schools to operate effectively, avoiding "horizontal alignment" for all non-public schools.

That was the content discussed at the working session between the Department of Culture and Society, the Provincial People's Council with Nguyen Truong To High School and Herman Gmeiner High School on March 1 according to the plan to survey the school network planning and activities of non-public schools of the Department.

The survey delegation of the Provincial People's Council's Culture and Social Affairs Committee worked with the Board of Directors of Nguyen Truong To High School. Photo: Mai Hoa.

Nguyen Truong To High School and Herman Gmeiner High School are non-public school models. Specifically, Nguyen Truong To High School was established in 1988 from a private type converted to a private type. Herman Gmeiner High School was established and its operating costs were funded by the international organization SOS, a part of the tuition fees contributed by students.

One thing these two schools have in common is that the recruitment process is difficult and the quality of students entering the school is lower than that of schools in the public system. Therefore, the schools always try to improve the quality of output to affirm their brand and these are two schools with quite good quality in the non-public school system.

For example, in the 2016 university entrance exam at Nguyen Truong To High School, 45% of graduates were admitted to regular public universities. At Herman Gmeiner High School, in recent school years, the school has had excellent students at all levels and 4 junior high school students were admitted to Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted.

The working delegation of the Provincial People's Council surveyed the learning and living conditions at Herman Geimainer High School. Photo: Mai Hoa.

However, through the survey, the working group of the Provincial People's Council also recorded many difficulties and shortcomings in the operation of non-public schools. According to Mr. Tran Anh Tuan - Principal of Nguyen Truong To High School: There is still a distinction between public and non-public schools in enrollment. Currently, due to the implementation of the enrollment regulations according to wishes, students with high scores often study at public schools, while low scores go to non-public schools. Or in terms of supporting students' learning conditions, for example, public schools are supported with national defense education teaching materials, while non-public schools are not.

Mr. Phan Xuan Huynh - Principal of Herman Gmeiner High School, said: "The State is investing in the rich". According to Mr. Phan Xuan Huynh, currently, students in public schools are mainly children of officials, civil servants, and employees with good economic conditions; while students in non-public schools are mainly children of poor and disadvantaged workers. The school's current operating budget depends on funding from the international organization SOS and part of the student's tuition fees. Since the school was established, the school has only received support from the provincial budget to build a multi-functional building, worth 1 billion VND.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is no longer a low-income country, so the support from SOS is increasingly reduced, causing difficulties for schools. Schools also suggest that the State needs to review, evaluate and invest, demonstrating the socialization policy of "State and people working together" for non-public schools to operate effectively, avoiding "thousands of people" for all schools.

From the issues noted, the Provincial People's Council survey team asked non-public schools to improve themselves and attract students with the quality and prestige of the school; not only educating children with good knowledge but also focusing on training skills and ethics for students, to truly be good children and good students. At the same time, it proposed that Nguyen Truong To High School study to transform its type into a high-quality school, creating autonomy and initiative in all school activities./.

Minh Chi