American International School Vietnam suspended for 12 months

By Le Nguyen July 2, 2024 | 01:30 am PT

Students in a classroom at AISVN in May 2024. Photo courtesy of AISVN

The American International School Vietnam (AISVN) will be suspended for 12 months for not satisfying financial and personnel requirements, the HCMC education department said Tuesday.

The HCMC Department of Education and Training over a month earlier had requested the school to prove that it has met enough requirements to operate. However, by the deadline on June 15, the school still did not give a response.

Teachers at the school went on strike in March due to delayed salary payments, preventing students from attending classes. After unsuccessful attempts to raise funds from parents and keep the school running, it ended the school year early on April 26, rather than at the end of May as it was supposed to.

The education department has decided to suspend the school's operation for 12 months starting from Monday. The school does not meet requirements to teach students due to insufficient resources, including finance, teachers and other employees, it said.

AISVN, established in 2006, provides curriculums under the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

The school's tuition has been VND280-350 million a year for kindergarteners, VND450-500 million a year for primary school levels, and VND600-725 million for middle and high school levels. The school had around 130 foreign teachers, 26 Vietnamese teachers and over 100 other employees last school year.

So far, 134 parents at the school have decided to send their children to a different school. The department has discussed with 19 other schools with foreign capitals and curriculums to receive these students. Schools who teach the IB program in the city can accept over 1,250 new students.

Students from first to eighth grades may be transferred to schools with either integrated curriculums or schools with foreign capitals and teaching the IB program. Students from ninth to eleventh grades may be transferred to private schools with either integrated curriculums or IB programs.

AISVN has also been requested to ensure the salary, bonuses and insurance for its workers, among other policies for workers.

Nguyen Thi Ut Em, head of AISVN’s management board, on Tuesday said the school has had new investors and principal, and is expected to open up on Aug. 12. The school would have a meeting with its personnel and parents on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss about the school's operation.