Hundreds of parents rush for Hanoi primary school amid quota concerns

Parents, mostly residents of the nearby Vinhomes Smart City urban area, gathered at the gates of Tay Mo 3 Primary School in Nam Tu Liem District out of concern that their children might not secure a spot at the newly constructed school.

Many came early in the morning and waited until evening, some until 10 p.m. to meet with the school’s representatives.

Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, a resident of the Imperia 2 apartment complex, said her third-grade child currently attends Ly Nam De Primary School in Mieu Nha Ward, located 4-5 km from home.

“In May, I was informed by teachers at Ly Nam De that if any students wished to transfer to the new school closer to their homes, they could register so,” Phuong said, adding that she received a transfer form in early July.

Parents were instructed to visit Tay Mo 3 Primary School to submit transfer documents after Wednesday, and then they were to complete withdrawal procedures from the old school starting Aug. 26.

“But today, when I came to submit the documents, I was shocked to learn that the school had already reached its quota.”

Thanh Nga, another parent, said that despite living near Tay Mo 1 Primary School, her children were previously assigned to Ly Nam De due to the admission procedures in place at the time.

“The route to school is not only far, but also dangerous, with narrow roads and heavy truck traffic,” Nga said. “Now that Tay Mo 3 is open and just a few meters from home, it’s frustrating that my children can’t study there.”

Nga said there has been no official announcement about admissions, and the school representative has not provided any information on when transfer requests would be accepted.

Minh Nguyet, another parent, noted that the representative of Tay Mo 3 had informed parents that the school’s quota was already filled, even though no official admission notifications had been issued.

Nguyen Thi Hang, the school’s principal, was present for a meeting with the parents at around 5 p.m. Wednesday, but failed to answer many of their questions.

Le Thi Thanh Tam, deputy head of the Nam Tu Liem District Department of Education and Training, who showed up at the school at 7 p.m., confirmed that Tay Mo 3 is one of two new primary schools in the district this year. The school’s board was only finalized on Tuesday.

“Students will be admitted based on their residence registration,” Tam assured.

Tam acknowledged the district’s growing population and emphasized that efforts are being made to build more schools to accommodate all students in the area. Parents have been allowed to file letters of their requests to the education department.

In a report to the Nam Tu Liem District People’s Committee, the education department clarified that the parents who gathered on Wednesday included those with children in grades two through five at other schools who wished to transfer to Tay Mo 3. Others were new residents of the urban area, or parents of children entering first grade.

The department explained that Tay Mo 3 was established as a split from Tay Mo Primary School, and that it is intended to serve students living in specific neighborhoods of the Smart City urban area. The department also noted that each class at Tay Mo 3 is capped at 35 students to meet the criteria for a high-quality school. Currently, after admitting students, the school has 30 classes with 1,111 students, 61 more than its intended capacity.

The department maintained that student admissions were conducted according to regulations, attributing the exceeded quota to the area’s population growth. It would inspect the letters of requests from parents and inform its findings back to district authorities to look for solutions.