HÀ NỘI — The Hà Nội People’s Committee has instructed Hoài Đức District authorities to investigate reports that a local primary school is collecting large sums as extra fees, causing outrage among parents.

In a communication on Wednesday city chairman Nguyễn Đức Chung ordered the district chairman to check how much extra fees Sơn Đồng Primary School has been collecting. 

The total fees it collected must not exceed the cap prescribed in the Government’s Decree 86/2015/NĐ-CP on tuition fees of public educational establishments, he warned.

He said the report must be submitted before September 10.

On September 3 a video clip posted on social websites showed many parents protesting the collection of extra fees of up to VNĐ7.5 million (US$322) by the school.

The next day the school’s principal, Nguyễn Kim Oanh, met with hundreds of parents but failed to provide a proper explanation and even walked out when asked about the fees.

A parent who asked not to be named called the fees “unreasonable,” citing the example of a fee for renting a counting frame. It is totally unnecessary for first graders to use this kind of tool, and the VNĐ650,000 ($28.2) claimed for this is not a small sum, she said.

Another parent said the parent fund is supposed to be voluntary, but not in that school, and worse still, it has been hiked every year to VNĐ250,000 ($10.8) now.

District authorities have ordered the school to stop collecting the extra fees and sought a report.

Extra fees have been a continuing problem in Việt Nam. In many cases, extra fees for upgrading classroom facilities, renovating school infrastructure, extra classes and others far outstrip tuition fees. — VNS