Vietnam - Preschools lose students, teachers

DA NANG — A plague of problems has led teachers and students to abandon several kindergartens in the country's central region, using temporary structures as classrooms during this academic year.

For example, a well-equipped classroom was built in Da Nang's Hoa Vang District in 2007 but it was consistently flooded during heavy rains and it lacked electricity and the proper toilet facilities.

None of the children from that school have had the opportunity to study since its closure.

"The classroom was built in a low-lying area, so flooding is frequent. How can parents let their kids study in a flooded building?" Tran Minh Hung, one of the district residents said.

A pre-school classroom was built in the city's Hoa Khuong Commune in 2002 to provide children and their parents with easy access to education. After one year of operation, the preschool was abandoned and fell into disrepair because a better equipped alternative opened nearby, said Vice Chairman of the commune's People's Committee Tran Van Thanh.

Teacher shortage was another problem, he said.

While many classrooms in the city have been abandoned, children in Tam Xuan No 1 Commune in central Quang Nam Province are facing a serious classroom shortage. At this time, seven of the village's 10 communes do not have a kindergarten.

Ngo Cung Can, head of Village No 10, said as many as 30 students were learning in each class, which had forced the local authority to open up the cultural house for classroom use.

"Teachers are forced to suspend classes whenever the local authority needs the house for conferences. It's inconvenient," Can said.

Ung Thi Minh Hien, who teaches in a temporary classroom, said parents of children in temporary schools were required to pay the same fees for their children even though they did not have proper learning tools and were at risk of unexpected suspension of classes when the culture house was needed for other uses.

About 270 children at the Hong Son Kindergarten in central Vinh City are dealing with the same situation.

School principal Le Hong Anh said the temporary school had low-quality classrooms and only one toilet, which was detrimental to children's health.

Both Anh and Can have reported their situations to relevant authorities.

Construction of a pre-school with the necessary learning tools would solve the problem, they said. 

VNS

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