Nghe An: Hundreds of students prevented from going to school

Signs of trouble

From early morning September 7, in front of the school gateKhai Lang Secondary School, a satellite school located in Lang Son commune, Anh Son district, hundreds of people parked their cars and stood crowdedly. This is the third day they gathered here to protest the school merger project that was implemented 4 years ago.

However, many of these people took advantage of the crowd to cause trouble and insult school staff and teachers. In particular, many people also prevented students from entering the classroom. According to records, at nearly 7:00 a.m. on September 7, when many students had entered the school, some people from outside the gate rushed into the school and asked them to go home and not to go to school so that their parents could protest the school merger. Meanwhile, at the school gate, a crowd was standing crowded. When students rode their bicycles to school, they asked them to go back home. Some people even stood in front of the school gate and declared, "If any student does not obey, they will cut off all their sandals." Many children were bewildered, not understanding what was happening.

Crowds gathered in front of the school gate to protest the merger. Photo: HH

Meanwhile, the principal, teachers and police were also present at the gate, calling students to go to class as usual. However, the result was that only 11 8th grade students out of 154 students in grades 6, 7, 8 went to school as usual. No students in grades 6 and 7 were allowed to go to class. Since there were only 11 students in 2 classes, the teachers had to combine them into 1 class to teach.

Meanwhile, of the 52 students from Lang Son commune studying grade 9 at the main school in Khai Son commune, only 3 attended class. The rest had to stay home because their parents opposed the school merger.

This is not the first time that chaos has occurred at this school. The school has also sent a petition to the Anh Son District Police, requesting to handle acts of obstructing the organization of teaching and learning at the school; posting images online without the consent of others as well as posting false information; handling those who use images, comments to defame and insult the principal on social networks...

Students had to return home when they reached the gate. Photo: HH

According to the school's report, at 7:00 a.m. on September 6, 2022, at Lang Son school, when the drum signal was given, grades 6, 7, and 8 had entered school, about 40 students currently studying in grade 9 at Khai Lang Secondary School and more than 50 people claiming to be parents were present at this school. Mr. Le Dinh Ha - Principal of the school met with students and discussed the content: "In the 2022-2023 school year, according to the decision of the People's Committee of Anh Son district, the school organized teaching for grade 9 students at point 1 - Khai Son commune, not at Lang Son point and asked them to go to the right location to study. The fact that students gathered in the wrong location affected the learning of students in grades 6, 7, and 8 is a violation of school and state regulations".

After that, the students went out to the yard but some parents forced them to go back in and did not let them go to the right place to study but had to stay at Lang Son school. The parents requested to open the classrooms for the 9th grade students to go in but the school did not comply.
Mr. Ha continued to talk with parents, asking them not to gather in the school area because it would affect the school's teaching and learning organization, but many parents did not comply and continued to speak loudly, asking the school to open more classrooms for students to enter. In response to the parents' noise, Mr. Ha asked the classrooms to close their doors so as not to affect the school's teaching and learning.

However, while Mr. Ha was explaining to the parents, some people used their phones to record and broadcast live, and made slanderous and rude comments that were not appropriate for an educational environment. At the same time, there were comments that insulted, defamed, and slandered Mr. Ha personally and the school.

Grades 6, 7, and 8 at Lang Son school have 154 students, but on the morning of September 7, only 11 grade 8 students were allowed to enter class. Photo: HH

Disadvantaged students

“My parents came to school this morning and told me not to go to school. But I still went to class to study. If I stay away from school for too long, I will be very worried,” said Vuong Thi Nhung, one of 11 students present at the school on the morning of September 7. As for Ho Vinh Duc, he said that his parents were at home today and were not at the school gate, so he still went to school as usual. “However, my best friend did not go to school and I am very sad. He came to school this morning but did not go to class,” Duc said.

According to the school, through research from teachers, most students really want to go to school, but only because of the prevention from parents. "I still have many messages from students to teachers. In many cases, parents also want their children to go to school, but after sending their children to class, when they come home at night, someone comes to put pressure and force them to go to school.They also had to let their children stay home,” said principal Le Dinh Ha.

Desolate scene at Lang Son school. Photo: HH

Present at the school in Lang Son on the morning of September 7, Mr. Nguyen Duc Vinh - Head of the Department of Internal Affairs - former Head of the Department of Education and Training of Anh Son district, said that it was completely wrong for parents not to let their children go to school. “In fact, since the beginning of this school year, the District Party Committee has had a policy for children of Lang Son commune to continue studying at the second school. However, for 9th graders, after the school merger, they have been studying at the main school since 2018 and this is now the 5th year of implementation. Personally, I also think that for final year students, it will be better for them to study at the main school because the conditions and facilities are better, and the teaching staff is also better. Moreover, the activities and experiences to improve the quality will be better. When the children go to school, they will have an integrated environment to prepare for grade 10. Therefore, adults should not impose their thoughts on children,” Mr. Vinh stated his opinion.

According to Mr. Vinh, he met many 8th grade students on the morning of September 7 and asked them why they did not go to school. They all said it was because their parents did not let them go. “I answered them that it was wrong for their parents not to let their children go to school and it was completely right for them to go to school. They have to study, they have to go to school to have a future. I used to be a teacher, I think that even if they miss one day of school, they will be affected because the amount of knowledge is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Training according to the curriculum framework, according to the school year plan and the fact that they are late for school for one day is clearly not good and especially affects the consequences. In particular, the biggest consequence is the children and in their minds, they will retain bad images of why their parents did not let their children go to school when the school year just started. This is something that should not be done in education, in family education and in social education,” Mr. Vinh added.

The main school in Khai Son commune on the morning of September 7 also had only 3 out of 52 9th grade students of Lang Son commune come to class. Photo: HH

Also present here, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Son - Chairman of the Veterans Association of Anh Son district, said that the most important thing is to ensure the children's education. For 9th grade students, they need to go to school at the main point to get acquainted early, stabilize their studies to prepare for the 10th grade entrance exam and get used to the 10th grade path that they will study in the near future. For 6th, 7th and 8th grade students, they must be allowed to go to school to ensure their rights. "As fathers, mothers, grandparents, if we let our children not go to school, we are guilty. The remaining issues will be resolved later. I hope that people must understand "for the future of our children". Students must be respected by society, by everyone and must enjoy the rights as prescribed, no one can violate. I think that if there is an action to prevent students from going to school, they may be prosecuted according to the law", Mr. Son said.

Speaking to Nghe An Newspaper reporters, Mr. Dang Xuan Quang - Standing Deputy Secretary of Anh Son District Party Committee said that in the immediate future, the district will still direct localities and schools to continue to propagate to parents to understand the policy of merging schools. However, along with that, the district leaders have also directed the police force to intervene to clarify and handle acts of causing disturbances and inciting people, especially acts of preventing students from going to school.

JobThe merger of Lang Son Secondary School and Khai Son Secondary School was implemented by the People's Committee of Anh Son district from the 2018-2019 school year., into Khai Lang Secondary School (located in Khai Son commune). The new school is more than 4km from the old Lang Son Secondary School. The project has been approved and implemented, but after 4 years of study, only grade 9 has transferred to the main Khai Lang Secondary School. Grades 6, 7, and 8 of Lang Son commune still study at the second facility. According to the roadmap, at the beginning of this school year, all grades 6, 7, and 8 will be transferred to the new school. But upon receiving the information, many households simultaneously sent letters of protest because they thought the distance was too far and the facilities were not guaranteed. Realizing that some people still did not agree, on July 15, the Standing Committee of Anh Son District Party Committee issued a notice on the decision not to merge the remaining grades of Lang Son school to Khai Son school in the 2022-2023 school year. However, many people are still dissatisfied. They continue to not send their children to school to put pressure and demand the cancellation of the school merger project issued 4 years ago.