Even after the school year starts, students still have to pay for "extracurricular" classes.

On February 25th, all classes at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Primary School (Hung Nguyen district) simultaneously held extraordinary parent-teacher meetings to return money to parents. This money was collected for extracurricular activities proposed by the school, but it faced strong opposition from parents.

Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Primary School currently has over 900 students. Photo: Song Hoang

A parent, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that according to education regulations, elementary school students are supposed to have one afternoon off each week for teachers to receive professional development. "But here, the children attend classes almost every week. Furthermore, they collect fees for extra classes without parental consent. Regarding the fee for the two-session-per-day program, although the provincial People's Committee document stipulated that schools could only implement it from December 10, 2018, the school collects the fee based on the actual school year (5 months), starting in September, at a rate of 100,000 VND per student per month," the parent said.

Students of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Primary School. Photo: Song Hoang

According to our investigation, parents reacted to this situation after the school announced it at the end-of-semester 1 parent-teacher meeting. Previously, schools typically held parent-teacher meetings at the beginning of the school year to announce school year activities, but Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Primary School did not organize one. Therefore, all teacher fees were collected through the students.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, the school principal, admitted to reporters that the school collected 200,000 VND from each student for 12 lessons before the start of the new school year. "After the first day of school, the school organizes life skills education and group integration activities for students (Grade 1). From Grade 2 onwards, students follow the VNEN program, which requires specific skills such as group management skills and interaction between teachers and peers. In addition, students must have skills to ensure safety...", Mr. Tuan stated.

Students at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Primary School in Hung Nguyen during class time. Photo: Song Hoang

According to the principal, these activities (teaching life skills) are "acceptable according to the regulations, and there was no time to prepare outside of the period before the school year. Therefore, the school organized a fundraising campaign for parents to contribute 200,000 VND per student to support the teachers. However, the teachers directly collected this money, and the school did not manage it."

Although the fees are collected through a voluntary fundraising campaign, in reality, this school's collection of money is inconsistent with the guidelines issued by the Department of Education and Training at the beginning of the new school year.

According to Decision 3207/QD-UBND on the school year schedule for preschool, general education, and continuing education, issued by the People's Committee of Nghe An province on July 26, 2018, it clearly states: "In the 2018-2019 school year, the first day of school for preschool, general education, and continuing education is August 20, 2018." In the same document, the People's Committee of the province also requires schools to have at least two weeks (before September 5, 2018) to prepare for the new school year.

Based on this document, it can be understood that from August 20th, students returning to school and the school organizing teaching and activities is normal before each new school year, and it is also a mandatory professional task according to provincial regulations. In that context, the fact that this school with nearly 1,000 students is collecting money to support teachers is not in accordance with regulations and contradicts guiding documents.

Furthermore, equating the preparation for the new school year with teaching life skills is also unreasonable. This is because it is simply a regular activity organized before each school year. For students preparing to enter first grade, the time before the opening ceremony is called Week 0. The purpose of Week 0 is to help students familiarize themselves with the environment, learning routines, and school rules. Additionally, it helps them become familiar with school conventions to facilitate teaching and learning throughout the school year.

The reporter also contacted the head of the Education and Training Department of Hung Nguyen district to inquire about the incident but has not yet received a response.