Overcrowded kindergartens a worry for People's Council

A teacher takes a class at Binh Minh Kindergarten in Ha Noi's Tay Ho District. Officials have heard that classroom numbers in some kindergartens are as high as 70 per teacher. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Mieng

HA NOI — The capital city's overloaded kindergarten system was the focus of concern from delegates during a question-and-answer session at Ha Noi People's Council yesterday.

Delegate Bui Duc Hieu asked the council when enough kindergartens could be built for 21 new urban areas. He said only 13 kindergartens had so far been built.

Delegate Nguyen Thi Thuy asked how it was possible to educate children when there were up to 70 in each class.

Vice Chairwoman of the Ha Noi People's Committee, Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, said that each commune, ward or urban area with a population of 8,000-10,000 should have at least a public kindergarten, public primary school and public secondary school.

However, some areas, including the districts of Dong Da and Ba Dinh, did not meet the standard because they were densely populated, Ngoc said.

Ngoc admitted there were 50, 60 or even more in some classes in some densely-populated areas.

She said rapid increases in population in new urban areas as well as big differences of tuition fees between public and private kindergartens were adding to the overload.

She added that the city had submitted a plan to the Ministry of Education and Training to switch 507 private kindergartens to public control.

Chairwoman of the People's Council, Ngo Thi Doan Thanh, said that kindergarten overload had been a hot topic for two years since 200 parents queued up overnight to register their children for a public school.

She said that while dozens of high-rise buildings have been built in Dong Da District's Lang Ha Ward, only one kindergarten and one primary school have been built in the past 10 years.

"Remedying the question is now in progress and challenges are still ahead of us," she said.

The People's Council and People's Committee representatives also answered questions relating to land management, tardiness of issuing land-use rights and house ownership.

Delegate Nguyen Hoai Nam asked why land was still given to substandard investors despite promises.

Vice chairman of the city People's Committee, Vu Hong Khanh, said that it was hard to avoid shortcomings.

According to Khanh, the committee had ordered the rectification of 239 projects that had been too slow in completing land clearance. About 14 projects occupying a total area of 14.1ha had been revoked so far.

The committee had set up teams to inspect 102 organisations accused of violating land regulations in 16 district, he said. — VNS