Nearly 10,000 preschool children in Nghe An are facing overcrowding.

(Baonghean.vn) - Nghe An currently has 524 preschools (an increase of 16 schools compared to 2011). However, due to the high demand for childcare and insufficient facilities, class sizes exceeding regulations are quite common.

Current provincial statistics show that the number of overcrowded preschools has reached over 10,000 children. The highest concentration is in Vinh City and surrounding towns and districts.

A class at the community center for students of Quynh Vinh B Kindergarten - Hoang Mai Town.

According to the Education Department's report, the province currently has 5,836 preschool groups, including 1,245 nursery groups and 4,591 kindergarten classes. However, the enrollment rate for children is only about 50% on average. Specifically, the enrollment rate for children under 3 years old in preschool is 18.6%; and the enrollment rate for children aged 3 to 5 years old is 89%.

The main reason for the overcrowding is the high demand for preschool education, coupled with inadequate facilities. Currently, the entire preschool system lacks approximately 300 classrooms. Furthermore, the teaching staff is also insufficient, with a shortage of around 900 teachers.

Overcrowding is also leading to shortcomings. For example, according to regulations, semi-public schools operating two sessions per day require a minimum of two teachers per class. However, currently, although the percentage of semi-public schools in the province has reached 93%, the teacher-to-class ratio is only 1.2-1.6 teachers per class.

Students at Huong Duong Kindergarten (Vinh City) have to study outdoors due to lack of space.

The remaining criteria also fall short of requirements. Specifically, according to regulations, the minimum area per student should be 1.5-1.8 m²/child, but in Nghe An province, it is currently only about 1 m²/child. The toilet area needs to be 12 m²/classroom, but the average is only 4 m²/classroom. The criteria for veranda and playground area are also lower than required.

In response to this situation, the Department of Education and Training has increased the enrollment quotas of schools annually, but the overcrowding problem persists. The department also anticipates that the overcrowding will increase to over 20,000 students in the next few years.

Due to a lack of playgrounds, students at Quynh Lap Kindergarten (Hoang Mai Town) have to play in their classrooms.

The province has also encouraged the development of private schools, but currently they are concentrated only in Vinh City and a few schools in Dien Chau, Thai Hoa Town, Nghia Dan... In addition, there are quite a number of preschools operating, but the facilities are not adequate and procedures are not followed correctly, posing many potential safety risks for children.

Furthermore, due to the large number of students, many preschools have broken the rules by hiring contract teachers illegally, and currently there are still about 300 preschool teachers who have not received their entitlements and benefits.

Song Hoang