Bui Thong, a parent of two children at AISVN, said the school informed that students would stay home on Monday via an email sent on Sunday.
More than 1,200 students began staying home on March 18 following a teachers’ strike over unpaid salaries and insurance. They returned to school the next day but there were not enough teachers to maintain classes. Students then stayed home for spring break, March 23-31.
In Sunday’s email, AISVN said it had been unable to create a joint bank account for the Ministry of Education and Training, the school and parents, for week ends. It would therefore take more time to resolve the problems related to unpaid teachers’ salaries. An official date for students to return to school is expected to be announced Monday.
“I am willing to pay more money for my children to continue studying in school,” Thong said.
In a meeting Saturday with parents and HCMC authorities, AISVN said the school was no longer financially capable of paying teachers’ salaries and maintaining educational activities. Nguyen Thi Ut Em, head of the school board, called on parents to contribute an additional VND125 billion ($5 million) to pay teachers’ salaries and allow the school to operate until the end of the year school in June.
Em proposed an additional monthly payment of VND9.5 million for kindergarten students, VND14.5 million for primary school students, VND20.5 million for grades 6-8 year and 25.5 million VND for students in grades 9 to 12.
On Sunday, some parents said they received emails informing them of the exact amounts they needed to contribute. A parent of an 8th grade student said he was asked to pay VND61.5 million for the remaining three months of the school year.
Education Department Director Nguyen Van Hieu is expected to meet with AISVN teachers on Monday regarding salary and insurance issues.
Em was barred from emigrating for personal income tax reasons.
AISVN offers programs within the International Baccalaureate program.
The school’s tuition fees are VND280-350 million per year for kindergarten children, VND450-500 million per year for primary school levels, and VND600-725 million per year. VND for middle and high school levels. The school has 129 foreign teachers, 26 Vietnamese teachers and 103 employees. But 85 teachers stopped working.
In October last year, several parents gathered to demand repayment of the school’s debts. They claimed the school had borrowed tens of billions of interest-free Vietnamese dong to allow children to study for free. However, even after children graduate, debts remain unpaid.
HCMC has 35 schools using foreign capital, primarily employing curricula from North America and the United Kingdom, supplemented by Vietnamese subjects. Tuition fees at these schools can reach up to VND1 billion per year.
