Cao Van Ngoc Primary School in Con Dao Island (Photo: tienphong.vn) Ba Ria – VungTau (VNA) – The planning and investment in education infrastructureare lagging behind the pace of population growth in Con Dao island district in thesouthern coastal province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau although there are preferentialtreatments and policies designed exclusively for the island district.
In 2011-2015, alongwith the socio-economic development, the district’s population grew more than 2percent annually. From 2014-2016, the increasing number of immigrants andunskilled workers led to the rise in the number of students and overcrowded classroom,particularly in preschool and elementary schools.
According to thedistrict’s education sector, the number of students in all school grades rose1.7-2.9-fold, while the number of classrooms has almost been the same since1998.
All localschools are currently coping with overload and are unable to admit any morestudents.
The population inCon Dao live mainly around the administrative centre (within the radius of nearly3 square kilometres) and almost all schools are situated right in the downtown.Therefore, households living far from the district’s centre find it hard totake children to schools.
Do Thi Tuong,who lives near Co Ong airport, said the school where her child attends is 14km fromher home so that it is hard for her to take her child to school during the rainyseason. Sometimes, she must ask for help from her relatives or permission forher child’s absence.
Truong ThiKhuyen, a teacher at Cao Van Ngoc elementary school, said the surge in thenumber of students requires increasing the number of classrooms. As a result, schoolsmust make use of all space, including warehouses and meeting halls, to serve asclassrooms. During the 2017-2018 academic year, the school has built two more classroomsand converted four functional rooms into classrooms, but it is yet to meetdemand.
Due to localcharacteristics, private investment into education meets a lot of challenges.
According to NguyenVan Manh, head of the district’s education and training office, the provincialauthorities have given the nod to a proposal to build an additionalkindergarten and an elementary school in Con Dao island in the 2017-2020 periodusing the province’s budget, but the classroom overcrowding is unlikely to be fullysolved.
The office isworking closely with the district’s relevant agencies to suggest prioritisinglong-term capital for education development that ensures stability andsustainability, Manh said.-VNA
In 2011-2015, alongwith the socio-economic development, the district’s population grew more than 2percent annually. From 2014-2016, the increasing number of immigrants andunskilled workers led to the rise in the number of students and overcrowded classroom,particularly in preschool and elementary schools.
According to thedistrict’s education sector, the number of students in all school grades rose1.7-2.9-fold, while the number of classrooms has almost been the same since1998.
All localschools are currently coping with overload and are unable to admit any morestudents.
The population inCon Dao live mainly around the administrative centre (within the radius of nearly3 square kilometres) and almost all schools are situated right in the downtown.Therefore, households living far from the district’s centre find it hard totake children to schools.
Do Thi Tuong,who lives near Co Ong airport, said the school where her child attends is 14km fromher home so that it is hard for her to take her child to school during the rainyseason. Sometimes, she must ask for help from her relatives or permission forher child’s absence.
Truong ThiKhuyen, a teacher at Cao Van Ngoc elementary school, said the surge in thenumber of students requires increasing the number of classrooms. As a result, schoolsmust make use of all space, including warehouses and meeting halls, to serve asclassrooms. During the 2017-2018 academic year, the school has built two more classroomsand converted four functional rooms into classrooms, but it is yet to meetdemand.
Due to localcharacteristics, private investment into education meets a lot of challenges.
According to NguyenVan Manh, head of the district’s education and training office, the provincialauthorities have given the nod to a proposal to build an additionalkindergarten and an elementary school in Con Dao island in the 2017-2020 periodusing the province’s budget, but the classroom overcrowding is unlikely to be fullysolved.
The office isworking closely with the district’s relevant agencies to suggest prioritisinglong-term capital for education development that ensures stability andsustainability, Manh said.-VNA
VNA
