Parents protest school merger, hundreds of students cannot go to class

Parents gathered to protest, believing that the school merger would make picking up and dropping off their children difficult and that the roads would be potentially dangerous.

Hundreds of parents in Thien Nhan commune, Nghe An protested the merger of branch 2 of Trung Phuc Cuong 2 Primary School into branch 1 - Photo: DOAN HOA

On the afternoon of September 10, hundreds of parents brought their children to branch 2, Trung Phuc Cuong 2 Primary School, Thien Nhan commune (Nghe An province) to request local authorities and the school to open classrooms for students to attend.

Children stay home from school to protest school merger

This is the third consecutive day that hundreds of students in Thien Nhan commune have been absent from school because their parents objected to the merger of branch 2 (spare location) into branch 1 (main location) of Trung Phuc Cuong 2 Primary School.

In a petition sent to the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Education and Training of Nghe An, the authorities of Thien Nhan commune and the school's board of directors, parents of primary school students of branch 2 (formerly Nam Phuc commune) expressed their concerns about sending their children to school.

"The road from the old Nam Phuc commune to branch 1 has an intersection with many trucks running, traffic accidents often occur, so it is very risky for children to pass through.

We are not comfortable with our children going to school through this road," said Mr. Vo Dinh Dong, 75 years old, who has two children in primary school.

According to Mr. Dong, the children are still young and need their parents and grandparents to take them to and from school. While the parents work far away, the grandparents are old and weak and do not have time to take the children to and from school.

"Our wish is to keep this school to ensure the safety of the children," Mr. Dong suggested.

The intersection between the inter-commune road and the provincial road does not have a traffic light system, causing many parents to be concerned and worried about the school merger - Photo: DOAN HOA

Mr. Duong Van Minh - 71 years old, residing in Dong Xuan hamlet, Thien Nhan commune - said that people and parents were very upset about the locality suddenly transferring children from separate locations to branch 1 right before the new school year 2025 - 2026, while the village and hamlet had not yet held a meeting to discuss and approve the policy.

"We agree with creating a better learning environment for our children. However, the local government must survey and get the community's opinions before making a decision. Every year we contribute to building more and more spacious school facilities, but why doesn't the commune keep the school?", Mr. Minh expressed.

Mr. Minh and many parents said that before the new school year, the school only held a meeting for parents of grades 1 to 5 at the satellite school on August 24, but no one agreed to the school merger.

The current status of Trung Phuc Cuong 2 Primary School in Quang Xa hamlet has a two-story building, with functional music and IT classrooms, a principal's office, and a soccer and volleyball field.

To help students concentrate on their studies

Branch 2, Trung Phuc Cuong 2 Primary School, Thien Nhan Commune, Nghe An has a 2-storey classroom system put into use since 2011 - Photo: DOAN HOA

Speaking with Tuoi Tre Online on the afternoon of September 10, Ms. Le Thi Lan - Principal of Trung Phuc Cuong 2 Primary School - said that after the opening ceremony, many students at remote locations were absent from school in recent days, and in the morning session of September 10 alone, 136/196 students were absent.

In the 2025-2026 school year, Trung Phuc Cuong 2 Primary School will have 19 classrooms with 670 students.

To prepare for the new school year, on August 16, the school submitted a document to the People's Committee of Thien Nhan commune requesting to transfer the satellite school to study at branch 1 because the main school has full and modern facilities, teaching equipment, and functional classrooms.

According to Ms. Lan, the distance between the two schools is only about 1km, convenient for students and teachers to travel.

"The school has 29 teachers and staff. If we separate the two teaching locations, we will not be able to ensure time, teaching will be dispersed and the timetable will overlap," said Ms. Lan.

Main campus of Trung Phuc Cuong 2 Primary School, Thien Nhan Commune, Nghe An - Photo: DOAN HOA

On August 29, Mr. Nguyen Van Chinh - Chairman of Thien Nhan Commune People's Committee - signed a notice agreeing to merge the remote locations into the main school based on the conclusion of the Standing Committee of the Commune Party Committee to improve the quality of teaching and learning, focus on investment and effectively use resources so that students can study in a centralized environment with better equipment and facilities.

"We also listened to parents' concerns about the potentially dangerous intersection and proposed that the commune and superiors study and install traffic lights and speed bumps to ensure children's safety," Ms. Lan shared.

During this time, the board of directors of Trung Phuc Cuong 2 Primary School assigned teachers to each student's family to encourage them to send their children to class early to ensure the teaching and learning program.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phu-huynh-phan-doi-sap-nhap-truong-hang-tram-hoc-sinh-chua-the-toi-lop-20250910170958774.htm