High school in Hanoi illegally recruited 174 10th grade students

For the past month, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai and many other parents whose children are studying in grade 10 at To Hien Thanh High School, Van Quan Ward, Ha Dong District, have been "sitting on hot coals" because they are almost done with the first semester but their children still do not have a student code on the system of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training.

"I'm very confused. Not having my name on the system means my child is not recognized as a student of the school," said Ms. Mai. The female parent said she submitted her child's application in April by reviewing his academic record with an average score of 6.5.

Ms. Dang Thanh Xuan, another parent, said she learned about the school through a fanpage. The school advertised for high-quality, basic 10th grade students with tuition fees of 1.8 and 1.5 million VND per month, respectively.

"Seeing the clear address, I felt secure to submit my application. The admissions officer confirmed that the school had a quota," Ms. Xuan recalled.

Parents said that students started school on July 16. The incident was discovered two months later when they read a notice from the department about not assigning enrollment quotas to To Hien Thanh High School.

Searching further, parents learned that in the decision to assign enrollment quotas for grade 10 to private high schools in the 2024-2025 school year in April, the school's name was not included because it did not meet legal requirements regarding its location of operation.

On the afternoon of October 25, Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Tuyet, Principal of To Hien Thanh High School, admitted the incident.

"We recruited students without permission," said Ms. Tuyet.

According to her, the department has assigned many enrollment quotas. In the first rounds, the school was not on the list so they tried to supplement their application to be accepted but in the end, they were not accepted.

The female principal said she had reported and proposed to the Hanoi Department of Education and Training to transfer 174 10th grade students to Van Lang High School in Dong Da District. This school was assigned a target of 650 students this year but has only recruited more than 400.

On the evening of October 25, an official from the Hanoi Department of Education and Training said that the department was aware of the incident. Next week, the department's inspection team will work with the parties to investigate and clarify the matter.

To Hien Thanh High School was established in 1997 and currently has more than 400 students. This is the second year the school has been recruiting students and the location is rented in Van Quan area, Ha Dong district.