HCM CITY — The number of public kindergartens accepting children aged six to 18 months in the 2016-2017 academic year increased by 68 compared to the previous school year, according to the HCM City Department of Education and Training.

The city has 103 public kindergartens with a total enrollment of 1,231 children aged six to 18 months in the pilot programme, which began in 2014.

The programme is expected to be expanded to all HCM City public kindergartens by 2020. Previously, kindergartens did not accept children of this age.

Representatives of two kindergartens in Tân Phú and Thủ Đức districts said they could not meet the high demand for enrollees.  

Trần Thị Bạch Mai, principal of Sơn Ca Kindergarten in Thủ Đức District, was quoted by Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (Liberated Sài Gòn) as saying that many parents wanted their children to attend the kindergarten.

However, the school has only two classrooms for 22 children aged six to 18 months.

The Xuân Thới Đông Kindergarten in Hóc Môn District has set aside classrooms for children aged six to 12 months, while kindergartens in districts 4, 6, 8 and Bình Thạnh have rooms for children aged 13 to 18 months only.

Kindergartens in several other districts are enrolling only two or three children aged six to 18 months.

Trần Thị Hoài, principal of Trường Thạnh Kindergarten, said at a meeting with the People’s Council’s Committee for Cultural and Social Affairs and District 9 People’s Committee, that all fees such as tuition, hygiene and lunches were the same as children of other ages.

Nguyễn Thị Thuận, principal of Sơn Ca Kindergarten 6 in District 12, said the city subsidised 35 per cent of teachers’ salaries in the pilot programme. Other staff, including nursemaids, do not receive a subsidy.

She asked the city People’s Committee to provide a salary subsidy to all staff involved in teaching and care of children six to 18 months.   —VNS