Managing independent private preschools: Close adherence to professional schedules is essential.

Meeting all needs
Hoa Ly private preschool, located deep in an alley in Yen Khang hamlet, Hung Dong commune (Vinh City), currently has over 40 children, mostly aged from 20 months to 3 years old.

Ms. Tran Thi Hoa, the owner of the facility, shared: “The facility accepts children from 7 months to 4 years old. Most of the children here are the children of factory workers, so many parents have to work overtime and sometimes don't pick up their children until 9 or 10 pm. Some parents even call to leave their children with the caregiver overnight. The tuition fee here is only around 1 million VND, much lower than other private preschools.”

Hoa Ly Kindergarten (Hung Dong commune, Vinh City) accepts children from 6 months to 24 months old. Photo: Thanh Nga

Hung Dong commune has over 1,100 preschool children aged 6 months to 5 years old, with more than 60% being children of factory workers. Because the area has a large number of temporary workers, there is a high demand for preschool children under 2 years old. Currently, there are 12 private preschools in the commune. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoai, a cultural officer of the commune, said: "If there weren't these 13 private preschools, the workers living here would have to send their children to their grandparents or quit their jobs to care for them."

According to a report from the Vinh City Department of Education, there are currently 108 independent private preschools and family-run daycare centers in Vinh City. The enrollment rate for children aged 6 months to under 36 months in nurseries is 47.7%. Of these, public preschools account for only 18.7%, while private ones account for 29%. The enrollment rate for kindergartens is 98.5%. Within this, public preschools have an enrollment rate of 64.8%, while private preschools account for 33.6%.

Similar to Hung Dong commune, Le Loi ward has a large number of preschool-aged children who need to attend preschool before the age of two. Mr. Bui Viet Hung, Vice Chairman of the Ward People's Committee, stated: "Due to the unique characteristics of the area, there are no public preschools, and there are also five apartment complexes with a predominantly young family population. Therefore, even though five private preschools have opened in recent years, they still cannot meet the needs of the children in the area. Consequently, the emergence of eight independent private preschools and family-run daycare centers is inevitable."

A private preschool in Le Loi ward (Vinh City) does not meet the required space standards for children. Photo: Thanh Nga

Difficult to manage

Clearly, the opening of independent private preschools in Vinh City has met the needs of the people. However, alongside the benefits, there are still shortcomings due to lax management.

For example, independent private preschools in Le Loi ward do not meet the required facilities. Ms. Nguyen Thi H, owner of the B. Nh independent private preschool in Le Loi ward, said: “Currently, the facility only accepts about 20-30 children, from 10 months to 4 years old, however, most children share a room. Children aged 3 and above will learn lessons according to the regulations for their age group.” Meanwhile, according to Circular 13/2015/TT-BGDĐT, the maximum number of children in each class group is only 7, and they must study and learn in separate rooms, each with a door separating them.

Article 14 of Circular 13/2015/TT-BGDĐT dated June 30, 2015, on the promulgation of regulations on the organization and operation of private preschools, stipulates that the number of children in a private independent preschool group or class shall not exceed 50 children. The maximum number of children in each group/class is 7; the childcare room must have a minimum area of ​​15 m².²There is an agreement with the parents regarding the adoption, care, and safety of the child. There are guidelines for caring for and educating the child.

To manage independent private preschools in Vinh City, the Vinh City Department of Education stipulates that each independent private preschool is subject to the professional management of a public preschool in the area. Mr. Le Truong Son, Deputy Head of the Education and Training Department of Vinh City, stated: “According to Article 13 of Circular 13-/2015/TT-BGDĐT dated June 30, 2015, the Education Department is responsible for coordinating with the ward, commune, district, and city authorities to manage the professional aspects of independent private preschools. However, in reality, we lack sufficient personnel. Therefore, every year, we issue directives and delegate authority to public preschools in the area to manage the professional aspects of these facilities, considering this as an annual evaluation criterion for public preschools. If a private preschool is found to be unseen and fails to meet the professional criteria, the public preschool in that area will have points deducted from its performance evaluation.”

The Yen Binh independent private preschool in Hung Dong commune (Vinh City) currently cares for 100 children. Photo: Thanh Nga

According to regulations from the Vinh City Department of Education and Training, there are two public kindergartens in Vinh City responsible for providing professional guidance to independent private kindergartens in the city. However, in reality, this regulation is almost never implemented. “Every year, the commune conducts regular and surprise inspections on food safety and fire prevention at independent private kindergartens and family-based childcare groups in the area, but the public kindergartens rarely participate. This is because the number of independent private kindergartens and family-based childcare groups in Hung Dong commune is too large, while the teaching staff of the public schools is insufficient,” said Ms. Ngo Thi Thu Hoai, a cultural officer of Hung Dong commune.

According to a report from the Vinh City Department of Education: Currently, there are a number of long-established private schools with small facilities and cramped infrastructure, lacking the conditions for renovation or new construction, thus limiting their ability to organize activities for children. In addition, public kindergartens assigned to oversee the professional development of these classes are currently short of teachers, resulting in infrequent professional development for independent classes. Some wards and communes have not been fully involved in managing independent private classes, leading to the continued operation of these classes without proper facilities and without adequate resources.