Compensate or Reimburse

I think everyone is aware that we didn't pay for our children to receive online training but sadly those are the circumstances. The Vietnamese Government decided the school needs to close, not BIS. Petition the Government if you must but BIS literally have no other choice than the choice they're making. Personally I think it would be very unfair to extend into the Easter or Summer holidays. Unfair on students, parents and teachers all of whom would be penalised through no fault of their own and would be left out of pocket. And frankly if they did decide that I wouldn't send either of my two children to School anyway, we have family holidays booked and we will be taking them. I can't help but wonder how much of this bluster is simply to put pressure on the School so they may partially refund some of the fees paid and if so it's pretty low. I would have said if you're not happy with the education your child is receiving to go to another International school but literally every single one is also closed. This petition is only going to make a bad situation worse and those responsible for it should be ashamed.

So you want to suppress free speech as well? If I do not agree, I'll say why. The school did not create the Coronavirus. The teachers are not having an extended holiday, they're working hard. If it's about money, call it what it is.

I agree

Parents and children: kindly stop with the judgmental comments on this petition. If you don’t agree, don’t sign it!! Each parents’ situation and expectation is different. Each child’s circumstances, learning abilities and age requirements are different. Most parents who seem to wholeheartedly agree are those: - whose child is in primary school - who have self paid school fees and sometimes also EAL fees - whose and whose child’s mother tongue isn’t English - who works professionally on a full time basis To me it’s simple: I did not pay the school for online training however high quality it is or whatever hard work gone into it. Let’s try coming together and find a compensation that is fair, going by the fact that we are all investing in many more ways than expected.

Dear Tina, I understand your concern. But rest assured that we don’t claim to be the voice of the whole campus. Each year group has different needs and should be approached differently. It was never our intention to disrupt your learning and your preparations for the coming exams. At the same time please understand that what works for secondary and high school students doesn’t necessarily work for the primary children. And that’s what we want to work with the school to address, strictly about the e-learning process of the younger children.

It's not clear. That's my point. In my opinion, parents need to step up and take some responsibility too. Nowhere in your petition does it imply that you're talking about the parent's summer travel plans. I've made my point. You're damaging morale and you're too stubborn to see that. I'm sure you'll have their attention now though, well done.

That’s the part where you are misinformed sir, many of us have asked several times to have a meeting with the principle to discuss about this but have been brushed off repeatedly. The main purpose of this petition is just that, to talk with those who run the school. As far as “summer travel plans” goes, it also applies to us parents as well, I was actually talking about our own plan to travel in June which may have to be put on hold in case the school decides to extend the school year. How you want to interpret our message is entirely up to you, but it was never our intention to attack our teachers, let that be clear.

I totally agree with Levi Ackerman. E-learning is the best and most effective approach to keep students engaged. Well said. As a fellow BIS IB student, may I add: If we were to shorten our summer holiday it wouldn't benefit students who are in the most crucial year groups (who are sitting their exams in May) as they would not gain anything from an extended school year. Additionally, I am aware that many of the parents who have signed the petition are those of primary school children, however, if the actions you have suggested above were to be carried out, they would affect the entire school rather than just primary school children. Please consider that this may not be as beneficial for those who arguably take higher priority in the student body, especially if the school were to halt the e-learning process in order to resume school into the summer holidays when students who have exams would have already completed them. This would be detrimental to students' exam grades.

The word "underhanded" means it's done in a secretive or manipulative way. Such as "unwilling to put the children's education first" or mentioning summer travel plans. I'm very well informed. This is an attention seeking petition. Go and have a conversation with those who run the school. All you're doing here is damaging student and teacher morale.

Hello, I think you are misinformed, please do read the message again to see that a majority the 200 people who have signed this petition are parents of young children in the primary campus. We find your “playing game until 3am” remark presumptive, condescending and not constructive. I’d like to ask you to point out any remarks that maybe perceived as an attack on our teachers. We value all opposing views but we don’t accept personal attacks, we’d like to ask you to practice more decorum in your comments, let’s be civil about this.

The word "underhanded" means it's done on a secretive or manipulative way. For example "unwilling to put the child's education first". I'm very well informed. It's an attention seeking petition that teachers will read and lose morale. Have a conversation with the people in charge.

This is a very poorly worded petition. It's an underhanded attack towards teachers who are doing their best in an extremely unusual situation. It sounds like certain parents are frustrated that they are having to engage with their child's learning. As a parent, having the opportunity to see what my child is capable of, day to day, has been enlightening. It is has also been amazing to see how incredibly hard working and talented the teachers are. It doesn't take much to help make the learning environment at home work for you. Put some effort in, like the staff at BIS are. The irony is, these are probably the same parents who allow their children to play video games till 3 am. No one wants this scenario but that's the situation we're in. If it's all about money, reword the petition content or arrange a meeting with the school directly. There's a deadly epidemic in this area of the world, show some respect. The only well balanced and sensible comments on this page have come from students. Maybe the parents should take part in some e-learning, too.

Firstly, I’d like to thank you for offering your perspective on the matter in a very well thought and immaculately written letter. Students like you are a testament of the high standards of teaching our school has to offer. We do understand that you and many other IB students have life changing exams to take in the very near future, and events like this could be very unsettling for you. Therefore, we are very happy to know that your teachers are working hard to help exceed expectations. With that said, I’d like to invite you to see this matter from our perspective. In my estimation, most of the 200 of us who have signed this petition are parents of young primary children. We are sure you know the negative effects of sitting on the computers have on these children who have yet to be fully formed. Some of the damages are not reversible. Moreover, the young children are just not equipped like you to work independently, they need more guidance and structure than an IB student studying for exams. There are several ways we can tackle this problem, I can’t speak for the other 200 minds, I’m sure there are smarter solutions than mine, but I thought e-learning for small children should be more project-based, in such a way that the teachers would give instructions and lessons for a short period of time, then assign projects which students can turn in at the end of the day, or week, without sitting for hours on the computers. I’d also like to reinstate that we think our teachers have work even harder around the clock to make sure learning continues for the student. Our wish which is the sole purpose of this petition is to be more involved by the school in the process, children from all age groups cannot be taught with the same approach and method. Getting reimbursed was only the last resort, if we worry about money our kids wouldn’t be sent to one of the most expensive schools in the city. We’d also invite you to look no further than our friend at EIS who has b

Would appreciate school cancel the term break and catch up the class, online learning is not enough. As parents we make our sacrifice during this special circumstances, we hope school can make an effort too. It is nobody's fault, however we all should work on each side to make the right move.

I agree with these suggestion from BIS parents

This is perhaps one of the most accusatory and uninformative signed petitions I have come across! Although I understand the concerns about the extra costs are worrying, the likelihood that BIS will reimburse the parents for the school lunch fees and bus fees (etc) are fairly high. However, it is important to understand that until we have received a date or an indication when school will be officially reopened these costs can not be calculated whatsoever, therefore it is unnecessary to claim that BIS is just protecting their business. Secondly, I find the statement that BIS is "unwilling to put the children's education first and choose to protect your business bottom line and the summer travel plans" extremely disrespectful. As an IB student (who wishes to remain anonymous) and someone who has been part of the BIS community for a very long time, I can say with confidence that I am actually extremely impressed by the standards the teachers have set. From what I have seen, with my teachers, they have put the utmost effort in ensuring that we are not falling behind and are still receiving adequate preparation for our IB exams. They have been extremely responsive with emails, are willing to call at almost any given time, and have helped us with content far later than official contract hours. As a student who is sitting his exams in 3 months, I too am extremely worried about the current situation in BIS. However, I can still confidently say that all teachers are up to the standards of the students and are in fact exceeding expectations. I can also go even further and claim that some teachers have taught and supported students at a higher level than what I would expect on a normal school day! Thirdly, it is important to understand that this is an official decree by the government. Although the school would be happy to conduct lessons, they are legally obliged to stay closed, and thus any malpractice would lead to BIS losing their official teaching license! I

I agree

I am expecting physical course as compensation for the lost school days due to the Corona issue.

I agree

As a student, i believe that my testimony in defence of the e-learning programme is more valid than your complaints.