November 20th Gratitude Fundraising Campaign: Teachers are also deeply moved...

(Dan Tri) - In just a short time, in Ho Chi Minh City, many incidents regarding the budget plan related to welcoming and expressing gratitude for Vietnamese Teachers' Day, November 20, have brought fatigue and heaviness to the teachers themselves.

The plan to mobilize parents to contribute to a performance at class 8A1, Nguyen Chi Thanh Secondary School, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City has caused a stir in public opinion in recent days.

This performance attracted attention not only because of the cost of 22 million VND but also because of its purpose of celebrating Vietnamese Teachers' Day, to "send deep gratitude to teachers who have taken care of the career of educating people" but "the class fund is not enough", according to the open letter of the Parents' Representative Committee.

Open letter calling on parents to contribute funds for the November 20 performance, costing nearly 22 million VND (Photo: PH).

Ms. Nguyen Thu Tra, a parent in Ho Chi Minh City, said that a performance by students to show gratitude to teachers costing nearly 22 million VND was unnecessary and clearly put pressure on parents.

According to information, the class is sponsored with 3 million, needing nearly 19 million more. If the class has 40 students, each student contributes nearly 500,000 VND, which is not a small amount for many families. Not to mention that parents have paid for the class fund before.

Ms. Tra believes that preparing such a performance for teachers puts pressure on parents and students in terms of money, effort, and time. In this context, it is difficult for the teachers who are being honored to be happy.

Not only in a performance costing nearly 22 million VND, the fundraising activities to thank and show gratitude to teachers on the occasion of November 20th brought along many thoughts and feelings...

It is not only a performance but also parties, envelopes, gifts...

One example is the recent event where the Parents' Representative Committee of Mac Dinh Chi Secondary School, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City called for a party to honor Vietnamese Teachers' Day, November 20.

When the information "parents mobilized to organize a November 20th party for teachers" spread on social networks, the leaders of Mac Dinh Chi Secondary School responded by refusing this gratitude from the Board of Representatives.

The school also expressed its desire to focus on teaching, as well as organizing teaching and educational activities for students in the coming time, to ensure their comprehensive development.

Or the list of expected parent fund expenditures of a 2nd grade class at Vo Thi Sau Primary School, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City at the beginning of this school year also shows that the parent fund's largest expenditure is on envelopes to "show gratitude to teachers on major holidays of the year".

The parent representative committee listed that there are 6 holidays a year including October 20, November 20, New Year's Day, Lunar New Year, March 8 and the year-end summary, all of which have "envelopes" for homeroom teachers, nannies, and subjects with expenses ranging from 1 to 2.5 million VND.

List of expected budget for 6 holidays a year to give out envelopes to teachers at Vo Thi Sau Primary School, District 7, HCMC (Photo: PH).

Not only in this class and this school, but in many places, contributions to show gratitude to teachers become a burden and pressure for many families and students.

Giving gifts without heart: Parents are under pressure, teachers are criticized

Giving gifts and expressing gratitude not only causes fatigue and pressure for parents but can also be burdensome for teachers - the ones receiving the gratitude.

Ms. Le Hong Thanh, a primary school teacher in Ho Chi Minh City, confided that she feels very sad when, on November 20, giving gifts and expressing gratitude becomes a burden for many parents and families.

There are many parents who face pressure when parents in the class mobilize to "go" to the teachers, it is very difficult to refuse. In addition, many people also consider giving gifts to teachers as a responsibility.

For a teacher, holding a gift or an envelope becomes heavy and controversial... Ms. Thanh knows that some of her colleagues find ways to "hide" and refuse to receive gifts every November 20th.

Ms. Thanh also expressed that the heavy-handedness of giving gifts to teachers stems from two factors. One is that parents “have wealth and courtesy”, giving gifts with the intention of pleasing teachers. And second, there are cases where teachers ask for favors…

The principal of a high school in Ho Chi Minh City shared that for many years now, he has always spoken directly with the Parents' Association to absolutely not encourage parents to contribute to giving gifts and showing gratitude to teachers.

The school also reminded teachers that if they know of a case where the Parents' Representative Committee is calling for donations, they must speak up immediately to prevent it.

Giving gifts and showing gratitude is only meaningful when it comes from the joy of the giver and receiver (Illustration: Hoai Nam).

This person frankly said that this is to reduce pressure on parents and also to protect the teaching staff. Material gifts are sometimes not worth much but cause fatigue for parents and bring shame to teachers.

He said that at his school, parents and students can give gifts to teachers as individuals. However, the school does not accept parents acting as representatives of the Board of Representatives to mobilize and call on others to contribute to this cause.

The principal believes that giving gifts according to trends, not from the heart, is also a formality and ostentation.

"Giving gifts is all about the heart, the desire of the giver and the joy of the recipient. When these two things are not present, parents and students need to be bold enough not to give, and the recipient also has the right to refuse... There is no reason to force yourself to do things that are too formal and burdensome," this manager stated.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/van-dong-tien-tri-an-2011-giao-vien-cung-nang-long-20241111155256687.htm