VietNamNet Bridge – The educators in Hanoi have been trying every possible means to enlarge their schools to pack in more students. The number of first graders increases sharply this year.

The students who go to the first grade this year are called the “golden pigs,” because they were born in 2007, the Year of Golden Pig in accordance with the lunar calendar. The number of children born in the golden pig’s year soared abnormally which puts a heavy burden on primary schools nowadays.

According to the Hanoi Education and Training Department, the city’s schools receive 125,000 first graders, an increase of 11,000 students in comparison with 2012 (114,000).

In principle, students would go to the nearest primary schools in the same districts where they reside. However, since the schools in some areas have got full up, the education department has to allow students to enroll in the schools in the neighboring districts. As such, the burdens can be shared out among schools.

In Thanh Xuan districts, the Dang Tran Con B in Thanh Xuan Nam ward would receive some students from the Ha Dinh and Tan Trieu wards, while the Nguyen Trai School would enroll the students who live in Khuong Mai ward as well.

Similarly, in Dong Da district, in order to ease the workload of the Nam Thanh cong Primary School, some students would be transferred to the Thai Thinh School.

However, the method alone cannot settle the problems. Since the schools are overloaded themselves, they cannot receive more students from other districts. Therefore, the schools have to manage their own ways.

According to the Headmaster of the Cat Linh Primary School in Dong Da District, Nguyen Thanh Thuy, the school has decided to use a part of the 50 square meter lounge as a classroom for students. The new classroom is still being fixed to be ready by the new academic year’s opening day September 5.

The school has eight classes for first graders this year, or one more class (60 students) in comparison with the previous years. The school has been allowed to recruit one more teacher who would take care for first graders.

According to the Headmaster of the Khuong Thuong Primary School, Nguyen Thi Xuan Lan, the school has six classes for 270 first graders this year. Therefore, the school has decided to use a part of the 100 square meter mess hall as a classroom. This would allow reducing the number of students in every class from 60 to 55.

The Phuong Liet Primary School also has to change the physical education functional room and the teachers’ room into the classrooms. Therefore, the school can receive all the students residing in the Phuong Liet ward this year.

The 50 square meter functional room of the Nhan Chinh School has also turned into a main classroom of the school.

The Xuan Dinh School, though being located in the suburbs, has also got overloaded. According to the school’s headmaster Nguyen Thi Bich Hang, the number of first graders is higher by 100 students than the previous year.

Hang said more classrooms would be built to accommodate the increasingly high number of students. However, for the time being, reading rooms and other functional rooms would be mobilized for the classrooms.

Van Chung