Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Hanoi’s schools aregetting more crowded this year, with experts predicting some classrooms couldhave up to 70 pupils.

Pham Van Dai, deputy head of the city’s Departmentof Education and Training told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, the numberof primary school students was expected to increase by 30,000 compared to thoseleaving for secondary schools.

If the city’s authority fails to build moreclassrooms or new schools, the overloading of classrooms would increase, hesaid.

Last year, the department reported there were morethan 1.9 million of students in 2,600 schools in the city, an increase of134,000 students compared to the academic year of 2017-2018.

Of that, primary schools recorded the highest riseof roughly 13,000 students, an increase of 30,000 students compared to theprevious academic year.

As a result, many primary schools had to increasethe number of students to 60 per class while the ministry’s regulations onstandard number was 35.

Figures from the department showed Thanh Xuan, CauGiay and Ha Dong are the top three districts with the most crowded classroomsin the city, pushing the number of students to between 52 and 60 per class.

Pham Thi Le Hang, head of Ha Dong district’sDepartment of Education and Training, said Ha Dong had the rapid urbanisationand a rising population in recent years.

The district was expected to have more than 6,000students in all grades this year compared to the previous 12 months.

Although the district had managed to build threenew schools, the overloading would not be eased in this year.

Dam Thuc Hanh, head of Hoang Mai district’sDepartment of Education and Training, said Hoang Mai was an overloading hotspotlast year, especially in Hoang Liet ward where 76 out of 82 apartment buildingswere built and put into use, leading to a high rise of population.

Chu Van An Primary School in Hoang Mai districtwas the most crowded in the city. The school received about 1,500 students inthe last academic year while its capacity was only 960 students.

The sudden increase in the number of first gradersput pressure on the school’s facilities. Students had to study four days perweek instead of five days as in other schools and had to study alternatively onSaturdays.

Nguyen Minh Thu, a parent of a six-year-old girl,said she struggled for a seat at a private school in Hoang Mai district as shewas very worried about the quality of overloading classrooms at primary school.

“How can a teacher handle up to 70 students perclass? How can students study in such crowded class?” she said.

Nguyen Viet Can, head of the Department ofEducation and Training’s Planning and Finance Office, said it was necessary tohave long-term solutions on planning the network of schools in the city.

This year, Hanoi would invest to build andrenovate more than 100 schools in 12 districts. The city would re-examine andrenovate existing facilities into classrooms at overcrowded schools.

Toan said the department has asked the localhealth sector to support the People's Committees of districts to rearrangeenrolment plans to reduce the overloading at crowded schools.

Nguyen Thi Bich Ngọc, Chairwoman of the municipal People’sCouncil, said the city has asked relevant sectors to clarify the number ofschools needed by 2020 and the areas that needed more schools, so the citywould have solutions for the issue.-VNS/VNA