Merging schools in Thanh Chuong district: Giving students the best learning opportunities
(Baonghean.vn) - Merging schools is an inevitable trend to focus on investing in facilities and improving the quality of teaching and learning at schools. This is also the goal that Thanh Chuong district is persistently pursuing, with the desire to bring the best educational environment to students.
In mid-April, Thanh Chuong district merged Thanh Nam school of Ngoc Son Primary School with the main school. In the 2023-2024 school year, this is the 5th school in the district to be merged.
Delete old schools, degraded schools
Ngoc Son Primary School has 606 students in 20 classes. However, the main school only has 10 classes. The remaining classes have been studying at Lam Thang and Thanh Nam schools.
Term 2020-2025, implementing Resolution No. 09-NQ/HU dated September 21, 2021 on "Planning the network of schools, improving the quality of education associated with building schools meeting national standards in the period 2021 - 2025", Project No. 2119/DA-UBND dated September 20, 2021, Thanh Chuong district advocates merging Thanh Nam school into the main school.
In 2022, Ngoc Son Commune Party Committee issued Plan No. 18 on school network planning and the Commune People's Committee also issued Plan No. 274 on merging Thanh Nam school into the main school.
The merger of Thanh Nam school is in line with the current requirements of the 2018 General Education Program when students must study according to the new program with 2 compulsory subjects: Information Technology and English, creating conditions for them to study and practice in classrooms that ensure quality. Moreover, this is also the basis for improving the comprehensive quality of education for students, focusing resources on investing in building facilities, improving the effectiveness of management work, and improving the quality of teaching at the school.
In fact, this is not the first time the Thanh Nam school merger has been carried out. Learning from the 2021-2022 school year merger, the merger in 2024 was carried out fully and quite systematically.
Accordingly, from August 2023, when the merger roadmap was proposed, the leaders of Ngoc Son commune, representatives of the commune's primary and preschool schools, and the advocacy committee held a meeting with the people of the three hamlets of Nam Phong, Nguyet Bong, and Nam Thuong (hamlets with students studying at the Thanh Nam satellite school), listening to their thoughts, wishes, and proposals.
Also at the meeting, the commune agreed that in April 2024 - the expected date for completion of construction works at the main school - 100% of Thanh Nam school students will transfer to study at the main school. The minutes also clearly stated that parents agreed with this policy.
Previously, the assessment survey showed that Thanh Nam satellite school had seriously degraded because it was built in the late 70s of the last century. After more than 40 years of use, many items were damaged, termite-eaten and needed temporary reinforcement. The space in the classrooms was moldy, lacked light and was humid, not ensuring teaching.
To prepare to welcome students to the main school, from July 2023, the District People's Committee and the People's Committee of Ngoc Son commune have focused on investment resources, mobilizing socialized educational funding sources to upgrade facilities, and purchasing additional teaching equipment. Thereby, 6 new classrooms, yards, fences, school gates have been built, offices and 5 functional rooms have been renovated and upgraded; 30 new computers, 11 televisions, 70 sets of tables and chairs have been purchased, etc.
Before students return to the main school, Thanh Chuong District People's Committee also prioritized investment in building artificial turf fields for students of Ngoc Son Primary School from funding sources. The total investment value for these projects is more than 8.8 billion VND.
The main campus of Ngoc Son Primary School is located in the planning area of the whole commune's educational center, adjacent to the secondary school and kindergarten. Previously, from the beginning of this school year, Ngoc Son commune also merged Thanh Nam kindergarten into the main campus and received the consent, support and serious implementation from parents.
After the project was completed, on April 8, Ngoc Son Primary School also held a parent meeting with all parents of 5 classes at Thanh Nam school, approving the policy and discussing the plan to move to the main school. On April 10, the merger was officially carried out.
Since then, teaching and learning for students at the main school have been carried out normally. It is expected that this weekend, Ngoc Son Primary School will organize a football tournament on the artificial turf field for 5th grade students, to celebrate the Liberation of the South, National Reunification Day on April 30 and International Labor Day on May 1.
Create the best learning environment for students
Regarding the transfer of students to the main school, according to the school's summary, by the morning of April 15, out of 152 students from grades 1 to 5 at Thanh Nam school, 124 students had returned to school as usual (4 students were absent due to health reasons). The remaining 28 students had not yet returned to school because many parents objected to the transfer due to reasons such as the long distance. Parents also wanted to keep the old school because this was a long-established school and many generations of students in the commune had studied there.
On the morning of April 12 and April 15, some parents brought their students to the Provincial People's Committee's Reception Room to protest the merger of students into the main school.
Regarding the issues parents have raised, Mr. Thai Van An - Chairman of the People's Committee of Ngoc Son Commune said: The distance from Nam Phong, Nguyet Bong, Nam Thuong hamlets to the farthest main school is only 3km, closer than many other hamlets in the commune. Traveling is also easy because in addition to National Highway 46, there are 3 other concrete roads in the hamlet, convenient for parents to take their children to school.
We also find that the parents’ objection is not justified because in reality, before entering first grade, parents with 5-year-old children have traveled this route to take their children to kindergarten. The travel is completely convenient and ensures safety.
Bringing students to the main school not only creates a good learning environment for students, but also allows the People's Committee of Ngoc Son commune to expand the area of the commune headquarters, replacing the current cramped area. In addition, part of the old area of the old headquarters will be used to build a cultural house in Nam Thuong hamlet because the old cultural house is degraded and the area is not guaranteed.
Present at the main campus of Ngoc Son Primary School on April 15, according to records, teaching and learning at the school are still taking place normally.
Teacher Nguyen Thi Thu Ha - homeroom teacher of class 2C said: There are 4 students in the class who have not yet come to school. In the past few days, I have been updating the lesson content and homework for the students on the class's parent group, but the parents of these 4 students have hardly interacted. Some parents said that they took their children to the old school but there was no teacher to teach. Seeing students absent from school for a long time, I am very worried about them because their academic performance is mostly average. Meanwhile, this is the end of the semester and there are many practice sessions to practice their test-taking skills.
In class 5C, there are currently 22/31 students attending class. The students attending the school are all very happy because they get to study with their friends, the school is spacious, clean, beautiful and airy.
Teacher Luu Viet Tuyet - homeroom teacher of class 5C expressed concern as it is now week 31 and in a short time the 5th graders will take the final exam. "This is the final stage and if the learning is interrupted, it will affect the students' ability to absorb the lessons."
When merging into the main school, our biggest wish is to provide the children with a better learning environment, ensuring their safety, especially during the rainy and stormy season. After the merger, according to the roadmap this year, we will also complete the procedures to recognize the national standard school. This has been the long-standing wish of the people in the area because currently the whole district has only 4 primary schools that have not been recognized as standard schools.
The merger of schools is a major policy of the Party and the State to create the best environment for children. This is also a policy of the district and commune that has been approved and supported by the majority of people. If we oppose the merger and do not allow students to go to school, it is a violation of children's rights, children's rights to education and learning.
It is known that in this school year, in addition to merging Thanh Nam Primary School, Thanh Chuong district also merged 4 other schools, including 3 primary schools and 1 kindergarten of Ngoc Son commune.
In the whole district, implementing Resolution 09-NQ/HU of the District Party Committee and Project 2119/DA-UBND of the District People's Committee on "Planning the network of schools to improve the quality of education and build national standard schools, period 2021-2025", since the beginning of the term, the whole district has merged 12 schools and 10 separate schools.
Among them, there are remote schools with very difficult conditions, students have to travel 5-6 km to get to school such as Xuan Son school of Dang Thai Mai Primary School; Ban Muong school, Nhan Pa school, Ban Hien school of Huong Tien Primary School; Cha Coong school of Kim Lam Primary School.
Clearly defining the goal of merging schools and campuses is to improve the comprehensive quality of education for their children, so over the past time, cadres, party members, people, and parents have always agreed and responded. Up to now, the schools and campuses after the merger have quickly stabilized teaching and learning.
