What does “international school” mean?
The curriculum applied by the international private run school on Nguyen Trong Tuyen Street in Phu Nhuan district of HCM City, is in not much different from the curricula of other schools. The students here follow the curriculum set up by the Ministry of Education and Training. The only difference is that they can have intensive English lessons.
In fact, the school once tried to teach natural science subjects in accordance with foreign curricula, but the teaching is just considered an introduction.
The schools which call themselves “international schools” have been mushrooming in big cities. The common characteristic of the schools is that the classrooms are well equipped with air conditioners and few students (20-25 students per class).
Especially, the most important differentiation of the schools is the teaching method which does not stuff students’ heads with too much knowledge, but aims to allow students both study and relax. Here at the schools, students can have more English hours and take outdoor trips.
The new teaching method has successfully persuaded many parents, who believe that “all work and no play will make Jack a dull boy”, to bring their children to international schools. The parents believe that their children need a western styled education rather than the Vietnamese traditional one.
However, a lot of parents have realized that many international schools cannot provide the things they want. The HCM City People’s Council, in a working session with the HCM City Education and Training Department, asked the local authorities to clarify the “international quality” of the schools that call themselves “international schools”.
Nguyen Van Minh, Deputy Head of the Culture-Society Committee of the city’s people’s council, said that many schools use the term “international school” just to lure more students. Meanwhile, in fact, the schools do not have high education quality and good material facilities.
The committee has found out from a survey that the material facilities of many schools are very poor. They have nothing except the classrooms with air conditioners. The schools have narrow space with the corridors just in one meter width.
There are not many real international schools
In fact, in HCM City, there are the real international schools which follow foreign curricula, such as APU School or Nam Saigon International School which follows US curriculum, the HCM City International School which follows British curriculum or other schools which follow Australian or Singaporean curricula.
According to the HCM City Education and Training Department, there are 34 such schools in the city. Every class at the schools has 16-20 students, while the timetables are designed in a way which allows students to balance the learning and entertainment, harmonize theoretical knowledge and practice.
The tuitions set by the schools are always high. The international school which gives lessons in English, for example, requires the tuition of 15,000 dollars a year. The students of the schools are mostly the ones who plan to study further at foreign universities.
The high tuitions explain why many students have to leave the schools after several years of studying there, when their parents cannot afford the tuitions anymore. However, it would be difficult for the students to get adapted to the new circumstances at state owned schools which follow a quite different curriculum.
However, there are also the schools which call themselves “international” as well, but they do not have high quality education and do not have good learning conditions as promised. Therefore, the HCM City local authorities have been urged to inspect international schools and to give information about the schools, so that parents can make right decisions when choosing schools for their children.
Source: NLD
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment