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nternational schools are known to
provide good environments for both
international students and Vietnam-
ese who want to study abroad be-
cause the teachers are native speakers
of English. A 35 year old woman liv-
ing in District 7 says: “If I had enough
money, I would choose an international
school for my child without hesitation.
Although the fees are high, we feel
comfortable when giving our child a
good education.”
A middle aged woman living in
Sky Garden Area agrees: “I chose an
International school because I want my
daughter to study abroad. Studying in
an international school lets her get used
to the English language.”
Meanwhile, Luu Tri Kien, manager
of Tam Advertising Company, says: “My
daughter is studying at the Vietnam
Australia International School. I’m too
busy with my work, so I’m not sure
about helping her with her homework.
Thus, placing her in an international
school makes me feel less worry than
other schools.”
Besides, with better facilities and
schedules, international schools help
students develop more completely. Ex-
tra activities such as dance, soccer and
indoor climbing give students many
choices after school.
“We don’t have time to take our
children to evening classes, and we also
want them to have more time to relax;
therefore, we chose an international
school,” says an architect living in Dis-
trict 2.
However, coming along with the
rise of international schools are ques-
tions about quality and the fees. Ac-
cording to some, some international
schools have well qualified staff, but
some do not.
Elton, a 39 year old English teach-
er from Australia, says: “It’s too hard
for us to choose a good one among
many schools in Ho Chi Minh City. The
school fee is not a matter for us, pro-
vided that the school gives our son a
good education.”
The middle aged woman living in
Sky Garden Area, says: “Before going to
study in the US, my daughter studied
in an international school. I think the
quality was not as good as we were led
to believe.”
According to her, the school mostly
taught in Vietnamese, not English.
“The teachers told me that the
school is in Vietnam, so Vietnamese
is a privilege,” she says, adding that
she feels the fees were too high. “For
example, they told me at first that the
school fee was around $9,000 per se-
mester, but then there were lots of ex-
tra items, making the school fee reach
over $10,000. On reflection, I think it
would have been much better to send
her abroad to study.”
The school fee is one of the main
worries for Vietnamese parents. The av-
erage fee of an international school is
tens of thousands of dollars per year –
well beyond the financial means of most.
Everyone wants to give their chil-
dren a good education, but not all can
choose an international school.
Vu Thi Hoan, from Tan Binh dis-
trict, says: “I want to send my two
daughters to an international school,
but the fees make me hesitate.” Hoan
intends to send her 16 year old daugh-
ter to study in a college in Singapore.
However, due to financial constraints,
she is attending a Vietnamese school
during the daytime and a language
centre every evening. Hoan is dubious
whether the quality reflects the costs
she pays.
On a forum named
webtretho
,
many parents ask for advice when they
are considering international schools.
One member says it is important to
think carefully about the pros and cons
when choosing a school since there are
so many that are labeled ‘international’.
“If we choose the wrong one, our chil-
dren will have to study in both English
and Vietnamese,” she says.
Compared to Vietnamese par-
ents, foreigners seem to have even
less choice. Sandra from France, says:
“When we moved to Vietnam we wor-
ried about choosing a good school for
our son, but luckily, my friends helped
us a lot and after half a year, our son
seems to be performing well.”
Despite the higher school fees, a
foreign invested school is often pre-
ferred since parents feel more assured
of its quality. Hopefully, in the coming
time, international schools in Vietnam
will be controlled more carefully, giv-
ing children a truly good international
environment.
THE EDUCATION LOTTERY