HCMC children finally back to school after 9 months

By Manh Tung   February 13, 2022 | 08:52 pm PT
HCMC children finally back to school after 9 months
Students arrive at Nguyen Dinh Chieu Primary School in HCMC on February 14, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Manh Tung
Nearly one million kindergarten, primary-school and sixth-grade students return to school over the next week after studying online for more than nine months.

Hoang Kim Quan, a first-grader at Luong The Vinh Elementary School in Thu Duc City, got up early to get ready for school Monday.

Hoa, his mother, said after spending some time at school last week to get acquainted, the child is now excited about going to school to meet his new friends and teachers.

"I feel the frustration of being stuck at home he had ... is gone. Now he no longer has to sit in front of a screen for hours."

The 34-year-old said she is prepared for a situation of Covid-19 spreading in school at any time.

During nearly two months of classes for grades seven to 12 she was reassured by how quickly and neatly, and without causing any panic, coronavirus infections in school were handled, she said.

"Whatever the situation, I think parents should stay calm and coordinate closely with the school to avoid causing negative impacts on children's psyche."

On Monday around 600,000 students in 510 elementary schools returned to classes.

By next Monday classes will resume for second to fifth grades, putting an end to remote learning.

In the first week only some schools will allow students to stay for lunch.

Dang Duy Phuoc, principal of Nguyen Dinh Chieu Elementary School in Binh Thanh District, which welcomed more than 1,000 first and second graders on Monday morning, said lunch would be provided for students from this week since parents demanded it.

An Hoi Elementary School in Go Vap District received 3,710 students and is providing lunch to more than 1,300 on their parents' request.

Deputy principal Ngo Thi Thuy Lan said, "Not all parents have agreed to send their kids back to school, but we will try to ensure their safety at school so that they can rest assured and hopefully, in a few weeks, all students can come to school."

Tran Hung Dao Primary School and Dinh Tien Hoang Primary School are not yet letting students stay for lunch.

Around 200,000 kids aged three to five turned up at school on Monday.

Nguyen Thuc Doan, five, has been eager about going to school for a week now.

Her mother, Quyen, said the girl had gotten her clothes for school ready the previous night.

Quyen fully agreed with the reopening of schools, saying children have stayed away for too long and missed opportunities to learn and soft skills.

She was not oblivious to the risk, however, admitting there would "inevitably" be Covid infections at schools.

"[But] having them go to school is safer because there are systematic protocols to prevent them from getting Covid-19. At home, they usually hang out in the neighborhood and face a risk of getting infected."

Schools finally began classes for sixth-graders on Monday, two months after students in seventh to ninth grades returned.

 
 
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