According to Tiền Phong, on the night of March 17th, many parents of students at the American International School Vietnam (AISVN) received an email notification from the school, stating that the current number of teachers is insufficient to ensure safety and teaching for students, so all students must take a day off on March 18th. Approximately 1,400 students from preschool to grade 12 are affected.
In a meeting with parents on March 17th, the school representative informed that 95% of the teachers would not teach on Monday (March 18th) due to unpaid salaries and insurance. Therefore, Ms. Nguyễn Thị Út Em – Chairwoman of the school’s Board of Directors, decided to let the students take a day off on March 18th.
Last September, many parents came to AISVN to demand Ms. Út Em to pay off the contracted amount. These parents stated that their children had studied at the school, received primary education, and were exempted from tuition fees throughout their schooling. The condition is that parents will lend money to the school. The school will repay the borrowed amount when the students finish grade 12 and complete the termination procedures for the primary education program or complete the dropout procedures at the school.
However, many parents said that despite their children finishing their schooling at the school a long time ago, they still have not received the refunded amount. These parents then sent a letter to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training.
Ms. Nguyễn Thị Út Em stated that the “tuition fee debt” mentioned is actually the education investment amount that the school signed with parents through the Education Investment Contract and will be refunded after 5 to 15 years of students studying at the school. “We have implemented this very well in the past by providing a free primary education program for students and refunding the education investment amount on time,” Ms. Em provided information.
However, according to Ms. Em, due to difficulties in the later period, the school has been delayed in refunds as well as not having a timely communication channel to parents.
According to the information on the website, Ms. Nguyễn Thị Út Em is the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of AISVN. In 2001, Ms. Em founded an international college – university (with a US program) in Ho Chi Minh City, based on non-profit criteria. This was the first school in Vietnam to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in 2003.
In August 2006, Ms. Em founded the American International School Vietnam (AISVN) with the vision of a comprehensive international school, from preschool to grade 12, without limitations on the number of Vietnamese students, operating based on non-profit criteria.
Ms. Nguyễn Thị Út Em – Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of AISVN
The tuition fee of the school from preschool to grade 12 ranges from 280 million to 725 million VND per year, making it one of the most expensive primary and secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City. The tuition fee above does not include a series of other fees such as application fee, enrollment fee, English development program fee, practical learning experience programs, and external organization exams…
The application fee for each student ranges from 1.5 million to 2.5 million VND depending on the school level. The enrollment fee of the school varies for each grade level, ranging from 25 to 45 million VND. The additional English development program fee ranges from 40 to 50 million VND per year.
Ms. Nguyễn Thị Út Em is currently the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and representative of many companies such as AIS American International Education JSC, American International Education Investment JSC, American International University Investment JSC, International Education Group JSC, American International Group JSC.
Among them, AIS American International Education JSC has the largest charter capital of 1,000 billion VND. It is worth noting that in October 2018, the company increased its charter capital from 50 billion to 1,000 billion VND and did not announce new shareholder structure. Previously, Ms. Út Em owned 90% of the charter capital of AIS American International Education JSC.
AIS American International Education JSC issued 3 series of bonds. Among them, 2 series of bonds totaling 250 billion VND were issued in October 2021 and January 2022 and have matured. There is still 1 series of bonds of nearly 318 billion VND issued in October 2022, which will mature in September 2024.
American International Education Investment JSC has a charter capital of 745.28 billion VND, American International University Investment JSC has a charter capital of 200 billion VND, International Education Group JSC has a charter capital of 300 billion VND, of which Ms. Em owns 80%, and American International Group JSC has a charter capital of 90 billion VND, of which Ms. Em owns 70%.
