Grade 1 enrollment is overloaded, workers worry that their children will not be enrolled

Worrying about not being able to enroll my child

In recent days, parents who are workers in Ben Cat ward (HCMC) have been running around looking for schools for their children to enter grade 1.

Reflecting to Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Cao Thi Giau (38 years old, temporarily residing at a boarding house on NC1 street, An Phuoc neighborhood, Ben Cat ward) said that it took a long time to complete the registration dossier for her son (bé N.C.T. N, 6 years old) to enter 1st grade at My Phuoc Elementary School. However, the result of zoning was Lai Hung Elementary School, more than 12 km from the boarding house.

My husband and I are workers, if we take our children to school more than 12 km and then run back 12 km, we won't be able to go to work in time. Besides, going that far will increase costs, making life even more difficult" - Ms. Giau worried.

According to Ms. Giau, each month the couple working as workers only has an income of about 13 million VND. Of which, the cost of rent, electricity and water is about 3 million VND, and tuition fees for two children are about 5 million VND. The remaining money must be very frugal to cover living expenses.

Also worried about finding a school for her child is Ms. Nguyen Thi Truc Ngan (33 years old, temporarily residing on DC 2A street, An Phuoc neighborhood). "Due to difficult economic conditions, my son entering 9th grade had to drop out of school to let his younger sister go to school. I tried to get my daughter into 1st grade at Luong The Vinh Primary School. However, because there are no temporary residence registration results yet, I cannot submit applications online for my child" - Ms. Ngan worriedly shared.

Ms. Ngan said that she had come to the school to apply directly for her child to study first, and after August 2026, if there were temporary residence results, she would supplement it, but it was not approved. This made Ms. Ngan worried that her daughter would also be late for enrollment.

Overloaded enrollment

According to records, Ben Cat ward has about 110,000 people. This is an area with many industrial factories, attracting a large number of workers. Most elementary schools in the ward are overloaded with students. In the 2026-2027 school year, My Phuoc Primary School announced that it will only enroll 10 first-grade classes with 400 students, and Luong The Vinh Primary School announced that it will only enroll 7 first-grade classes with 245 students.

Talking to reporters, the leader of the Culture and Social Department of Ben Cat ward said that this year, primary schools in the area are all overloaded due to the sudden increase in the number of students from other places moving in. Currently, My Phuoc Primary School has submitted over 500 applications, and Luong The Vinh Primary School has also received over 350 student applications.

Regarding the reason for zoning students to go far away (Lai Hung Primary School), the leader of the Department of Culture and Society of Ben Cat ward explained that due to overload in schools in the central area, it is necessary to allocate to students to go further away, ensuring that students can all go to school.

Regarding solutions, Ms. Tran Thi Thao - Chairwoman of Ben Cat Ward People's Committee said that the locality has tried to implement all solutions to receive students.

Specifically, the Department of Culture and Society coordinates with schools to open more classes, increase class sizes, and route schools far from the center. In addition, contact schools in Long Nguyen and Thoi Hoa wards to request the reception of students in Ben Cat ward.

See the original here.