Parents struggle to pick up their children in the pouring rain: 'Does the Hanoi Department of Education and Training need to react more quickly and decisively?'

Parents hope the Department of Education and Training will give more decisive direction.

On the evening of September 30, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training decided that all students in the city will be off school on October 1.

Talking to Dan Viet newspaper reporter , Ms. Nguyen Viet Phuong - a parent with a child in Cau Giay ward, Hanoi - shared: "At 7 pm, I received a notice from the homeroom teacher about letting students stay home from school. Specifically, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training announced: Due to the continued heavy rain affecting learning and the transportation system throughout the city. Under the direction of the city's leaders, the director of the department decided that all educational institutions in the city will stay home from school tomorrow."

According to Ms. Phuong, students will study at home and the school will arrange make-up classes later.

Học sinh một trường học ở Hà Nội ra về trong mưa ngập. Ảnh: NVCC. — Students of a school in Hanoi go home in the rain and flooding. Photo: NVCC.

However, after an afternoon of struggling with flooded streets and traffic jams everywhere to pick up their children from school, many parents in Hanoi expressed their frustration at the slow response of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training and schools, and their irresponsibility in not allowing students to take the day off today.

According to Ms. Phuong: "This morning, it was pouring rain due to the impact of storm No. 10, and parents were in a panic about whether their children would have a day off or go to school. Because there was no announcement from the school, we had to let our children go to school. However, not only me but many parents could not come home early to pick up their children from school in the afternoon. By the time school ended, the roads were flooded and blocked, making it impossible to move. If the Department of Education and Training had given students a day off today, it would have been more appropriate. I hope the Department of Education and Training would have given quicker and more decisive instructions."

Another parent also commented: "I don't understand how the leaders of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training and many school leaders responded to the storm and flood when it rained heavily from early morning, flooding everywhere, especially in the heavily flooded western area of Hanoi, but they did not let students stay home from school? This action of the leaders of the capital's education sector not only makes parents suffer but also endangers students. Is that too irresponsible?"

Hanoi Department of Education and Training "needs a rapid response team"

The leader of a high school in Hanoi said: "Although there was no announcement from the Department of Education and Training, the school has been flexible in allowing students to proactively decide whether to go to school or not. Because the school was not flooded, normal learning will continue. Today, many students were absent from school because their houses were flooded and they could not move, and teachers will guide them through their lessons the next day."

Mr. Bui Ngoc Phuc, author of the books "Accompanying children through exams"; "Advice on 10th grade entrance exams", who is also interested in education in the capital, said: "Storm No. 10 has raged in the Central region and the storm's circulation has caused widespread rain, Hanoi is one of the places affected. We don't have to wait until today, many sources of forecasts have said that the rain in Hanoi will be very heavy, local flooding will occur. The unfortunate thing is that the Department of Education and Training has been slow to issue an official dispatch directing the switch to online learning at home, thus ensuring the safety of children.

By 11am today, torrential rains had caused severe flooding in many areas, children still had to go to school, while those who had morning classes could not return. The department's urgent dispatch was issued when many areas of Hanoi were already deeply flooded. This delay caused hardship for parents and affected children. Not all schools had the facilities to let their children stay overnight and have dinner. Many parents had to wade for more than 3 hours with their children and were still unable to return home.

In my opinion, the consultants of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training should bravely face the truth. The slow issuance of official dispatches affects the learning of many children, while Hanoi can switch to online learning very quickly."

Education expert Vu Thu Huong - former lecturer of the Faculty of Primary Education, Hanoi National University of Education - expressed her opinion: "We should sympathize with this incident because it is difficult to predict natural disasters. Normally, the school's announcement to let students stay home will be based mostly on the situation of the entire school's students. The Department of Education and Training will base it on the situation of the entire city. Meanwhile, the storm came from yesterday and is unpredictable today in Hanoi. Everyone thought the rain would stop in the afternoon.

It is understandable that parents are stressed picking up their children this afternoon. But we should not wait for the department. Schools and parents should adapt to the situation. I see that some schools built temporary bridges for students to walk without being flooded. Some schools gave free meals to students who came home late, and some schools used military vehicles to pick up students from school. Many schools also informed parents to pick up their children from noon to afternoon."

However, according to Ms. Huong, although this time was unpredictable due to the complicated weather, the Department of Education and Training needs to have a rapid response room on a daily basis to make decisions more quickly and appropriately to the situation.

Previously, on the afternoon of September 30, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training sent a document to the People's Committees of wards, communes and affiliated schools requesting urgent implementation of measures to prevent and respond to storm No. 10, ensuring absolute safety for students, teachers and facilities.

The Department noted that schools in the storm-hit areas with boarding students need to closely manage their students; the movement of students must be closely coordinated between the school and the family. Schools need to prepare enough drinking water, food, and provisions to ensure the daily needs of students staying at school during the storm.

For schools affected by storms and floods where students cannot go to school to study and live, it is necessary to proactively develop appropriate learning plans and methods.

Original link: https://danviet.vn/toan-bo-hoc-sinh-ha-noi-nghi-hoc-ngay-mai-1-10-so-gddt-ha-noi-can-phan-ung-nhanh-va-quyet-doan-hon-d1366775.html?

Source: https://tienphong.vn/phu-huynh-vat-lon-don-con-trong-mua-ngap-so-gddt-ha-noi-can-phan-ung-nhanh-va-quyet-doan-hon-post1782824.tpo