News and Events

Several schools in HCM City have leased their land for shops and parking, facing protests from parents.

Grocers and fashion shops surrounding school

A school in District 3 that is designed to provide further training for teachers of local schools has leased a part of its land for food outlets for years.

A board to advertise the canteen is hung right below the school’s gate.Along with more people on the premises, the school has provided parking services for the public in the afternoon and evening.

A Rotica shoes shop has been set up inside the grounds of Bui Thi Xuan High School in District 1.

The shop operates even during the school time.

The school also reserves space for parking for people visiting nearby Saigon International Obstetrics Hospital. Many parents with children at the school have complained that this has cut down the amount of space in the playground.

Nguyen Huu Cau High School in Hoc Mon District is home to three groceries, a photocopy shop and studio, plus has a tea stand nearby its gate.

The owner of a grocery said, “The school has leased land for such outlets at low prices for over a decade”.

A space at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School in Hoc Mon District is used for displaying flowers and ornamental trees.

The school’s managers said they just allowed a public sector firm to temporarily use the space to hold plants before they were planted elsewhere in the district.

Food stand at a school gate

Accountability

Tran Thi Nam, principal of a school in District 3 admitted that the school has leased its land to food stalls and parking at VND2.8 million (USD134.1) per month. The proceeds are equally added to the wages of the school’s 31 staff.

“We’re aware that such services affect the school’s appearance. We’ve got a reminder from the district Office for Education and Training, but can’t upgrade facilities right away due to the lack of space,” she added.

Pham Thanh Nam, principal of Bui Thi Xuan High School, said the school had let a part of its land for a school uniform outlet.“

We don’t lease our land for profits and it’s just a temporary. The school uniform showroom will be removed after we hear from the district Office for Education and Training. The school’s trade union won a bid to operate the school’s canteen and provide parking services, with the profits going to the school’s staff,”Nam noted.

Most of proceeds from land leasing are added to school budgets.

Nguyen Huu Hung, Chairman of the municipal Department of Education and Training’s trade union, said such services were in accordance with the government’s Decree 43 and were expected to help improve the wages of staff in at the schools. Some schools used the the funds to pay Tet bonuses for teachers.

District authorities were responsible for resolving situations where schools lease their land for non-education services, Hung added.

School land used for parking