Two teachers at the 20-10 Kindergarten in Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi, clean up before the school reopens. (Photo: VNA) The city allowed kindergartens to reopen from April 13.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, owner of Anh Sao Private Kindergarten School, saidteachers had to take up different jobs to earn a living after theschool was closed.
Many took to selling food or clothes online or workingas cashiers. They would often earn between 8-10 million VND (350-438USD) per month.
The attractive salaries meant many teachers chose not to return once classroomsreopen.
Teachers earn just 6-8 million VND (262-350 USD) per month at her school,Mai said.
Other teachers claimed the work is too hard, and are worried about jobstability in case of further COVID outbreaks, she said.
Hang Nga, the owner of two private kindergartens in Thanh Xuan and Cau Giaydistricts, said just 10 teachers have agreed to return to work.
Dozens of others have sought other employment with better salaries, she said.
“When I suggested they return to work, they asked for more money as thecost of living has increased,” she said.
“It has caused a problem for the owners of private kindergartens becausewe have to bear many costs to reopen,” she said.
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Bich, founder of Viet Anh Private Kindergarten in Hoang Mai district,said after the municipal Department of Education and Training allowedlocal kindergartens to reopen, the school started to recruit teachers.
However, it is difficult to attract them because the income of akindergarten teacher is lower than many other jobs’, she said.
A kindergarten teacher at Thang Long Kidsmart Private School in Cau Giay district,who wanted to remain anonymous, said she has already agreed to take careof a group of five children at home. All students are of pre-school age.
She also said she did not want to return to the school over concerns aboutthe pandemic.
“The most important thing is the income from taking care of childrenat home is much higher than the income I could earn at the school,” shesaid.
Thanh Trang, the principal of TBK Private Kindergarten in Cau Giay district,said some teachers were taking care of children at home, earningaround 10-12 million VND (438-524) per month.
Trang lowered the recruitment criteria for kindergarten teachers andincreased salaries by 10-15 percent, she said.
Statistics compiled by the education department show that the citycurrently has 1,145 kindergartens with more than 525,000 children. Upto 158,000 are in private kindergartens, accounting for 30 percent.
Tran The Cuong, director of the education department, said preschools need toreview their facilities, supplies and play areas to ensure safety forchildren before reopening.
Schools are told to clean up and spray disinfectant in all classrooms,making sure that tables, chairs and school supplies are cleaned to complywith regulations on pandemic prevention and control, he said.
Nguyen Van Hau, head of the Me Linh District's Education and Training Office,said that the office held a meeting with both public and privatekindergartens, ordering them to ensure safety for children when theyreturn.
The schools are also ordered to develop menus to ensure food safety, hesaid.
The schools are required to pay more attention to the mental health ofchildren, who have not been to school for a long time, and organise activitiesto help them get reacquainted, he said.
Hoang Thi Thanh Huong, head of the Preschool Education Office under the city’seducation department, said eight private preschools have closeddue to financial difficulties, triggered by the pandemic.
Many other private preschools are facing similar challenges, she said.
In addition to carefully reviewing facilities, the schools are told to trainstaff on COVID-19 prevention and control measures, she said.
The department is set to hold an online meeting with 30 Education and Trainingoffices around the city as well as preschools to discuss remaining issuesbefore reopening, she said./.
VNA
