Previously, parents only became aware of their children’s school absences when they received a notice from the school or learned about their children’s test scores during parent-teacher meetings…
 |
|
Parents can now check their children’s academic results through phone calls and the Internet. Photo: T.T.D |
Now, parents can simply make a phone call or even receive detailed notifications from the school without needing to call. Indeed, in this digital age, parents are served around the clock, anywhere and anytime…
Remote Management…
With her only son preparing for the high school entrance exam, Ms. Tam (who lives on Tran Van Dang Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) cannot help but feel anxious. Right after the Lunar New Year, she called the Youth newspaper for advice on choosing a school and major for her son. Her questions seemed endless… until she felt embarrassed to pick up the phone. But not asking left her uneasy.
She recounts: “When I saw the hotline 19001733 for enrollment counseling, I tried it and felt so relieved. Information about which schools, majors, training programs, and job opportunities after graduation was all available. A direct counselor can’t convey this information better than that“.
Launched at the peak of this year’s university enrollment season, the information channel “What to Study? Where to Work After Graduation?” has significantly alleviated the concerns of candidates before the university and college enrollment season. Consequently, the hotline 19001733 receives 3,000 – 4,000 counseling calls daily.
However, the Ho Chi Minh City Post Office has been particularly proactive in the field of “educational information via phone.” In 2001, the 1086 hotline was established with the idea of providing daily updates on students’ academic performance, conduct, grades, school announcements, and even comments from homeroom teachers.
During peak times in 2003-2004, there were up to 50 – 60 secondary and high schools participating, indicating that this information channel was well-supported by parents, especially those with children in semi-public schools. A few hours after classes start, parents could call the 1086 service to feel reassured knowing whether their beloved child was diligently studying in class or wandering outside.
Meanwhile, leveraging its administrative advantages, the Department of Education and Training plans to pilot the “School SMS” service in mid-April. This service will provide more attractive information delivery to parents.
The schools will provide information about attendance, grades (from quizzes and above), final classification results, student conduct, and exam scores for graduation and enrollment… using a code designed by this center.
The center will compile raw data and transfer it to a server linked with mobile networks such as MobiFone, Vinaphone, and Viettel. Parents who register for the service will receive text messages regarding information related to their children (whether they were absent from school with or without permission, monthly and semester grades, etc.) via mobile phone.
Booming Score Reporting Services
While information about students’ attendance and monthly academic performance requires considerable effort and not every parent wants to participate, the service to check results of graduation and entrance exams to universities, colleges, and vocational high schools is straightforward yet highly sought after due to its practicality and effectiveness. Demand creates supply.
In the past, the field of educational information via phone was monopolized by the postal service (even the Ho Chi Minh City Post Office provided results for vocational exams, foreign language tests, computer tests, and sixth-grade admissions…) but now this market share is shared among many players. Last year, in addition to the post office, the Vietnam Television Station and Youth newspaper with hotline 19001733 and messaging system 9…; 9… also participated.
Moreover, numerous online newspapers are actively seeking information on exam results for their readers during the exam season. This year, according to Mr. Le Thanh Liem, head of the Ho Chi Minh City Post Service Center, three private limited companies have already contracted with the service center to report scores.
It is evident that the more entities involved in educational information services, the more channels parents have to support their children’s learning. The phenomenon of crowding to check scores at schools has also significantly decreased thanks to these score reporting services.
However, the influx of private companies participating without proper information verification can significantly impact parents if the information is inaccurate. Mr. Le Thanh Liem shares: “Even though we have been operating for a while, we still encounter cases of errors. There was a time when the school reported a student as ‘failed,’ and later corrected it to ‘passed.’ We promptly fixed it, but parents still called, scolding us and threatening to sue because their child had suicidal thoughts. Even though it wasn’t our fault, we still had to take responsibility. We had to cover the call costs, buy gifts, and send staff to apologize; only then did that parent calm down. We are a large organization, so we must maintain our reputation, but can smaller private companies handle the responsibility for their mistakes?“.
K.LIEN
