Teachers conflicted over work return

Many English teachers have gone on trips within Vietnam, simply to stave off boredom

Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, last week reasserted the position that reopening all schools in the most populous city in the country would not be a smart move while other nations battle to contain the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak that originated in neighbouring China last December.

At the city steering committee, Phong explained that the large number of employees from South Korea, Japan, and China was also a factor in the continuing concerns.

“We may not be able to ensure the safety of everyone if nearly two million pupils returned to school, studying and interacting in a confined environment,” Phong said.

Adding that number to the estimated 78,000 private school students and around 400,000 students at colleges and universities, those disrupted by educational shutdowns are forced to admit that it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Taking that into account, the local authorities late last week considered allowing grades 9 and 12 to return to school first on March 2, on a half-day basis. Students in other grades in secondary or high schools, along with fifth graders, could return to school on March 16, along with foreign language centres and other educational facilities.

By Friday evening, after Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc suggested that March 2 was too early, citing a complicated evolution of the outbreak and the ongoing developments in neighbouring countries, 59 of the country’s 63 cities and provinces had decided to remain closed for at least another week.

The shutdown will apply to kindergartens as well as primary and secondary schools, but not for high schools, colleges, and universities, which have the option to resume this week.

Higher education institutions such as the University of Food Industry and the Banking University, both in Ho Chi Minh City, announced last week they would remain closed until March 8 at least. The former is concentrating on disinfecting the premises, while the latter plans to utilise a combination of in-class and online teaching for the rest of the academic year.

Meanwhile in the capital of Hanoi, director of Hanoi Department of Education and Training Chu Xuan Dung last week outlined the measures that had already been taken in anticipation of trying to reopen schools as soon as possible.

The department is working with localities to compile a list of teachers, students, and others who have travelled through epidemic regions since February 10, along with making use of e-thermometers and installing more taps for water, according to Dung.

Previously, municipal departments of Health, Education and Training, and Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in the city sent letters to schools to provide guidance on outbreak prevention and control.

Pointers focused on sterilising classrooms every day before they reopen, providing face masks for anyone with a cough and/or high temperature, having medical staff on duty at all times, and limiting collective activities.

Short-term uncertainty

Despite only confirming 16 cases of COVID-19, with all recovered and discharged from hospital, Vietnam is taking nothing for granted, especially in light of the alarming rise in cases in locations as far away as Iran and Italy.

In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked all schools to close their doors from this week to prevent further spread. Even in England, several schools decided to shut after fears of children being exposed to the virus during ski trips in Italy, and plans are being drawn up for two months of shutdown in case the whole system is required to take action.

Many other Brits, of course, are based in Vietnam, a large number of them teaching English to local people of all ages. It was estimated that around 88,000 foreigners in total were working in Vietnam as of 2018, according to a Committee of Foreign Affairs report, and a great many have been affected by the school shutdown. For many, working to earn and save money is the number one reason for being in Vietnam, and current and future plans have been scuppered through the unexpected turn of events.

“Everything has been up in the air,” said Jamie Campbell, a Scotsman who has been teaching in Hanoi for several years. “We’ve hardly done anything because we didn’t know how long we’d be off from work. The first two weeks was uncertain of course, then we didn’t know there would be another two weeks off until the Saturday before. So there’s been little time to prepare to actually do anything except for a short trip to Ba Vi.”

Campbell, who works for a small Vinschool branch, said plans to leave Hanoi in May have been scrapped as his work contract may have to be extended, but his school has not yet told him much. “They have only asked me to write lesson plans. But I’m pretty certain we’re not going back anytime soon so I haven’t done any of it,” he said.

David Swindon, originally from the UK, works for various Apax English centres in and around Hanoi, and has had to juggle his daily life and finances like many other teachers. “I’ve spent more money than usual here because I’ve had time to travel instead of work, but as a result my plans to travel later in the year will have to change because of the situation,” he said.

Many of the language centres dotted around the big cities have had no work at all for expats. Denver Brent, a South African who teaches at a variety of such facilities said, “The small centres I work for have only asked me to be patient and wait for them to reopen – no work has been requested of me. Boredom hasn’t kicked in yet but I’m fairly certain that a few more weeks off will change that,” he said.

Flexible mindset

But back at Apax English, Swindon has been able to pick up some work thanks to the group’s push to arrange a different style of teaching for students. “The company has been pretty productive, considering. We’ve organised additional training, workshops, and clean-downs. Over the past week we’ve reasonably successfully transitioned over to an online platform and are currently working out some teething problems.” Swindon added that this has opened up opportunities for work for all staff there.

“I do feel there’s been a real effort to keep us busy, especially in comparison to other schools in the city,” added Toni Grant, who is also with Apax English.

American Breanna Davenport, like her boyfriend Campbell, also works at a Vinschool for the kindergarteners. Despite being closed, Vinschool has continued to pay teachers, something that cannot be said for all other similar educational establishments.

“I feel very lucky because Vinschool has paid us during the closure. However, the first two weeks we had off we will made up by working over 10 Saturdays after school reopens. I am trying to be understanding as this is a unique situation. Unfortunately, because I work with kindergarten-age children, a solution like online learning is not an option.”

For children of all ages as the weeks drag on, their parents are often struggling with what to do with them.

Nguyen Tran Tam is a teacher at a popular elementary school in Hanoi’s My Dinh district. The last few weeks have been a unique and unexpected challenge. “Staying home with kids isn’t easy, but waking up later than usual is something that makes me happy,” she explained. “On cold and rainy days we have just stayed home and we read, play, or watch cartoons. I have also tried to teach them how to bake simple cakes. Otherwise, we go out and have a run or go sightseeing. We are just trying to treat it like a holiday.”

Despite the time off, Tam’s school is doing its utmost to keep parents in the loop. “My school has done lots of things to deal with COVID-19. We ask for parents’ opinions before making decisions, and keep them informed about preparing masks, thermometers, and other measures for each classroom,” she explained. “Teachers have had to prepare detailed schedules for the next semester, and create worksheets for their students to practice at home.”

Even though the situation is different for people depending on workplace, family status, and more, what everyone seems to have in common is the overwhelming feeling that the country is doing the right thing in order to prevent a future crisis.

Grant’s impression on how Vietnam has handled the outbreak has shifted completely. “I thought it was a hyperbolic reaction at first, almost mass panic, with everybody wearing masks and closing schools, among other things,” she said. “But with a population of this size and such connections with other areas of the world where the virus been rampant, I think Vietnam has handled it extremely well.”

Like the others, Brent also agreed with the sentiment. “My feeling is that Vietnam is taking the situation very seriously and being overly cautious, which is of course a good thing when dealing with any sort of outbreak,” he said. “I thought it would go the other way,” Campbell added. “I figured companies would not want to lose money, and would give into pressure from parents or other customers. But being cautious is good.”