The HCM City Department of Education and Training will invest in more modern school equipment, including interactive whiteboards for primary schools and kindergartens by 2015.

Students at Nguyen Binh Khiem Primary School attending new school year opening ceremony.

By 2015, 412 kindergartens and 194 primary schools would be equipped with the whiteboards. The investment will expand to secondary and junior high schools by 2020.

The city has allocated VND740 billion (US$35 million) for purchases between 2011 and 2020. Subsidies of 50 per cent will be given to schools that decide to buy the whiteboard system.

Schools located in disadvantaged districts including Binh Chanh and Can Gio will receive a full subsidy from the city government.

At a recent workshop held by HCM City Department of Education and Training, Le Hoai Nam, the department's deputy head, said the system would improve the quality of teaching English at schools.

Under the policy, each primary school would invest in three interactive whiteboard systems, including one electronic touch board, one projector and one laptop.

Each kindergarten would receive one whiteboard system, he added.

Many primary schools and kindergartens in the city have been using these interactive whiteboards for many years.

Dinh Thien Can, head of the educational division in District 1, said that 15 kindergarten and 16 primary schools in the district were equipped with electronic touch boards.

Teaching aid

Le Thi Ngoc Diep, principal at Nguyen Binh Khiem Primary School, said this was a teaching aid that makes classes more exciting and interesting.

Parents have noticed the effectiveness of the boards and have offered money to help pay for the boards.

Le Tan Loc, teacher at Minh Dao Primary School in District 1, said that his school also uses interactive boards as teaching aids in classes of history, geography, English, math and literature.

The boards have a large interactive display that connects to a computer and a projector that projects the computer desktop on the boards' surface where users control the computer using a pen, finger, stylus or other device.

Nguyen Quang Vinh, head of the department's Primary Education Division, said the department's survey showed the system had helped teachers to be more effective in their jobs and improve students' learning results.

Truong Thi Viet Lien, deputy head of the department's pre-school education division, said the boards should be used for children aged five and above. She said they can develop music and art skills.

Some kindergartens have declined the subsidy of 50 per cent of total money for buying the system.