Primary and secondary schools in HCM City have asked parents of students to pay 100% of the fee for hiring foreign English teachers as well as equipment for the classes.
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| English class at Le Ngoc Han Primary School |
The decision was announced at a meeting between the local Department of Education and Training (DoET), including the involvement of over 200 primary and secondary schools on October 30. The meeting was addressing the issue of popularising English in Vietnam by using foreign teachers during the period through 2020.
100 foreign teachers with degrees in English education and other abilities will start to teach a pilot programme starting this November. They will be paid VND40 million per month (USD2,000), teaching 35 classes each week of which 15 will be extracurricular activities.
Le Hong Son, head of DoET said that parents will be asked to pay for all of the extra fees for these classes.
In addition, the local People's Committee committed to provide equipment in 194 primary and 450 nursery schools. However, due to difficult economic times, students will also have to pay 50% of the cost.
Le Hoai Nam, Deputy Head of DoET said that, since the wage of qualified foreign teachers is USD2,000, each student will have to pay VND120,000 per month (USD5.7) for 1-2 classes per week. This is addition to another VND500,000-2 million in fees for equipment.
When the project was first approved, local authorities agreed to pay 50% of the teachers' wages. But with the change, there is worry about the discussion with schools and parents.
