The new school year has begun, but many elementary schools in Ho Chi Minh City still cannot organize semi-boarding. Students have to leave after school, and parents have to find someone to take care of or temporarily put aside work to pick up and drop off their children.
It is worth mentioning that the main reason does not lie in the conditions of organizing the kitchen or the needs of students, but because some schools do not have new seals and have not completed legal status after the school network arrangement process.
When there is no new seal after rearrangement, schools cannot sign contracts with food and meal suppliers and implement related financial procedures. Boarding activities must therefore be temporarily suspended, even though schools, students and parents have needs.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, more than 1,200 units have completed legal procedures, reaching 86%. However, only 776 units have been granted new seals, reaching 52%. This gap shows that seal re-issuance is a bottleneck that needs to be removed soon.
This is primarily the responsibility of the competent authority to handle. Because schools themselves cannot issue seals for themselves, nor can they sign contracts without sufficient legal basis.
In the immediate future, it is necessary to specifically review schools that cannot organize semi-boarding due to being hindered by seals, determine which stage the dossier is at and set a deadline for resolution. Schools with a large number of semi-boarding students should be prioritized for handling first, because every delay affects hundreds of families.
If the procedure cannot be completed immediately, the management agency needs to guide a clear and legal transition plan. It is impossible to let the principal be responsible for maintaining the school's operations while struggling between the requirement to organize semi-boarding and the risk of improperly exercising authority.
For many families, especially workers, people working in shifts or having workplaces far from schools, semi-boarding is a condition for parents to feel secure in working all day.
When this activity is interrupted, parents not only have difficulty picking up and dropping off, but also have to find someone to take care of meals, accommodation and taking care of their children at noon.
While waiting for procedures to be completed, some schools try to support picking up students who are not picked up on time. However, this approach only solves immediate difficulties and cannot replace a fully organized and stable boarding program.
Therefore, removing obstacles related to seals needs to be implemented soon, instead of letting schools and parents continue to maneuver with temporary solutions.
The arrangement of the school network aims to streamline focal points and improve management efficiency. However, for schools after arrangement to operate normally, procedures related to legal status, seals, accounts and contracts must be prepared and resolved synchronously.
It is not advisable to let the arrangement decision take effect but the essential operating conditions of the school are not yet completed when the school year begins.
