VietNamNet Bridge – Industrial zones only provide workplaces for employees, but don’t provide enough schools for workers’ children.

“My wife and I work in Hiep Phuoc Industrial Zone. Our biggest problem now is that we cannot find a nursery school for my son. The Sao Mai nursery school has been overloaded and they are not accepting more children,” said Ngo My Ha, a worker at Hiep Phuoc Industrial Zone.

According to the HCM City Education and Training Department, there are 612 operational nursery schools in the city, both State-owned and privately run, 30 schools more than the same period last year. Also, there are 765 licensed small-scale private classes.

The establishment of massive industrial zones in the suburbs of the city has led to the sharp increase of the local population and the demand for babysitting services. It is estimated that 50-70% of children in Tan Phu, Binh Tan, Tan Binh, Districts 7, 9,12 and Thu Duc have to go to non-State nursery schools, while 25% have to go to small-scale household-run classes.

Most of these classes are badly equipped and are in states of disrepair. In Binh Hung Hoa ward, some babysitting establishments have only a 30 sq m room for 10-15 children. The school fee for these classes ranges between VND250-400,000 a month, affordable for low income families. Binh Hung Hoa, Binh Hung Hoa A and B all have only one nursery school with 12 classes, where 450 children aged 3-5 are learning

According to the report dated August 28, 2007 by the HCM City People’s Committee, by the end of June 2007, 12 industrial zones and export processing zones had become operational, numbering 250,000 workers. Meanwhile, HCM City’s agencies can only arrange accommodations for 4% of total workers, and of course, they don’t devote much attention to the workers’ children  

In fact, industrial zone developers all promised to build schools in their plans. However, for many reasons, many of them have delayed the construction.

Tan Tao Industrial Zone, for example, had had only one nursery school by the end of June 2007. The school has investment capital of VND4bil, covering an area of 1,730 sq m, large enough for 100 children, meanwhile, the school now has 146 children.

Several new urban areas including Binh Tri Dong, Hiep Binh Chanh - Hiep Binh Phuoc in Thuc Duc district, Hoang Mai 1 and 2 (Districts 6 and 8), Hiep PHuoc (Nha Be district) all have schools (300-600 children for each). However, the modest number of schools will not be able to meet the increasingly high demand.

(Source: SGTT)