Foreign parents anxiously draw lots for their children to enter kindergarten in Vinh

Since early morning, many parents have come to Hoa Sen Kindergarten - the only kindergarten under the management of the Department of Education and Training - to draw lots for a place for their children to enter the school.

Regarding this year's quota, teacher Nguyen Hong Van - Principal of Hoa Sen Kindergarten said: We have been using the lottery method to enroll students into the school for many years now and have received the consent of parents. This is also the most optimal method because it ensures fairness and objectivity...

Many parents were nervous before the drawing. Photo: MH

This year, Hoa Sen Kindergarten only has 75 places for 2-year-old children. Because of the limited places, the school announced that it would only accept applications from students of age (children born between January and September 2016). After three days of registration, due to the number of applications reaching nearly 180, the school had to use option 2, which is “lottery”.

Present at the draw, Mr. Henry - a parent of Dutch nationality said: This is the first time I have drawn lots for my child, although quite surprised but found it interesting, very different from our country... This morning, Mr. Henry was one of the few parents who successfully received a lottery ticket.

A foreign parent's first experience of drawing lots for their child to enter preschool. Photo: MH

Among the successful lottery draws this morning, there were also many interesting situations, such as the case of twins. Before the lottery was conducted, the school board gave the families two options: either draw for both children at once, or they could draw for each child individually. However, in the end, two families made different choices, so only ¾ of the twins were successfully admitted.

In addition to Hoa Sen Kindergarten, this year, schools such as Le Mao Kindergarten, Ha Huy Tap Kindergarten, and Hung Binh Kindergarten will also conduct the draw. However, according to Mr. Le Truong Son - Deputy Head of the Department of Education and Training of Vinh City: This year, although the number of students entering kindergarten has increased, it is not as "hot" as previous years.

Even in some schools in Doi Cung, Cua Nam, and Quang Trung wards, the number of registered students is not too many or does not meet the quota, especially for 5-year-old children.

The joy of the school principal and parents. Photo: MH

The reason is that, currently, there are quite a lot of non-public schools in Vinh city (in the 2018-2019 school year alone, the city opened 6 more non-public schools with a scale of about 20 classes per school), so instead of enrolling in public schools, parents choose to send their children to private schools with many advantages, such as private schools opening more gifted subjects, providing children with breakfast and spacious, modern facilities.

Due to the increased demand for childcare, it is expected that this year in Thanh Chuong district, the Town Kindergarten will also have to conduct a lottery. In other localities, instead of lottery, schools will accept applications from parents who submit early. On the part of the Department of Education and Training, in the enrollment guidelines, schools are required to have a preferential enrollment policy for children from poor households and those in especially difficult circumstances. The Department also considers the quota in the spirit of prioritizing schools for 3-year-old and 4-year-old children and reducing the quota for the nursery group (2 years old) to ensure that children are fully educated and cared for, without interruption in preschool education.