School yards in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi are being shrunk, causing a lack of playing ground for students, which has triggered the public concerns over the physical development at local schools.
Under the inter-ministerial circular of the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and the Ministry of Health which will take effect on June 12, schools must reserve 40%-50% of their total land areas for school yards. Meanwhile, the area for verdure must account for 20%-40% of the total areas. The circular also stipulates schools must not be located in the places where students may face risks, such as key transport routes, mountain foothills, along rivers, streams; or the areas with full of toxic gases, smoke, dust, noise. They must be situated far from train stations, petroleum stores, markets, rubbish dumps. The new regulations have caused worries to school headmasters, who believe that very few schools in the inner city can meet the requirements because of limited land fund. Analysts have pointed out that the regulations prove be unfeasible, because many schools now don’t have enough classrooms, while many others have to set up classrooms in rental houses, and the so-called “school yards” are just the space at residential quarters or terraces of buildings. In fact, many schools in Hanoi were initially designed with school yards. However, since the number of students has been increasing steadily year after year, the school yards have been shrunk to give place to classrooms.
Worse still, students of such schools often do physical exercises, play, salute the national flag and perform songs on pavements.
Nguyen Tung Lam, Headmaster of Dinh Tien Hoang High School in Hanoi, has warned that if the MOET considers the areas of school yards when assessing schools, most of the schools in Hanoi will not meet the standards.
Leaders of some education sub-departments in Hanoi have frankly said that the requirements set by MOET will only be met if local authorities provide land to build new schools.
There are 96 universities and colleges in the capital city, accounting for one third of the country’s universities and colleges. About 800,000 students, accounting for 40% of the total students nationwide, are studying in Hanoi. (Vietnamnet May 25)
