Cities, provinces urged to end cooperation with US ‘ghost school’

These localities include Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Ngai, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Dak Lak, Dong Nai, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Dong Thap, and Vinh Long.

The request was made after GWIS was confirmed to be an unregistered school. A report issued by the MoET said GWIS did not perform any educational activities in the US or have any national or regional accreditation.

The ministry also urged the education and training departments of these cities and provinces to take suitable measures to ensure the interests of students who are pursuing education cooperation programmes with the US school, and report the results to the ministry before April 24.

Earlier, on April 13, the MoET issued a dispatch asking the Hanoi Department of Education and Training to investigate the cooperation between Newton Grammar School based in Bac Tu Liem district and GWIS.

Newton Grammar School has been told to end its relationship with the US school and work to guarantee the benefits of students partaking in courses linked with GWIS. The investigation is also looking into the bilingual (Vietnamese – English) curriculum which follows the American high school education. It also touches upon the teaching activities at Newton Grammar School.

Finally, the responsibilities of stakeholders working with foreign institutes are being probed.

The ties between Newton Grammar School and GWIS came under scrutiny after American documents calling Newton’s claims into question were posted online. Students enrolling in the programme supposedly study Mathematics, Science and English language using the American curriculum supplied and taught by GWIS. Students will receive credits from both Newton Grammar School and GWIS. After collecting 24 credits, a student will obtain an American high school diploma.

Although the set-up sounds attractive, the information GWIS founder Philip Nguyen provided to substantiate claims about the school’s operations in the United States are paltry, prompting an outcry from parents.

Karen Tang, Assistant Culture Affairs Officer of US Embassy in Hanoi, said that GWIS had not appeared on any official registration of schools that they were able to find.