Newton Grammar School (NGS) in Hanoi has asked George Washington International School (GWIS) to prove its right to legally operate in Vietnam so that the two sides can continue the training co-operation.

The requirement was made after GWIS was confirmed as an unregistered school. A report issued by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) said GWIS did not perform any educational activities in the US or have any national or regional accreditation.

Newton Grammar School in Hanoi

On April 13, MoET issued a dispatch asking Hanoi Department of Education and Training to investigate the case.

NGS has been told to end its co-operation with GWIS and work to guarantee the benefits of students partaking in courses linked with GWIS and related agencies.

Under the co-operation with GWIS, NGS students were allowed to study on a bilingual learning programme, under which they learn subjects like maths, science and languages following the GWIS curriculum. Students will receive credits from both Newton Grammar School and GWIS. After collecting 24 credits, a student will obtain a US high school diploma.

Karen Tang, Assistant Culture Affairs Officer of US Embassy in Hanoi, said that GWIS had not appeared on any official registration of schools that they were able to find.

Following MoET instruction, NGS has decided to halt the co-operation with GWIS for three months. During this time, GWIS needs to have the necessary papers to prove its operation to be legal, if not, NGS will stop co-operating with the US school permanently.

Despite the co-operation halt with GWIS, NGS will ensure the teaching of maths, science and language arts based on the US curriculum.

NGS will also seek opinions from the MoET to find another partner to replace GWIS if it fails to have all necessary papers to prove its legal status. After that, NGS will discuss with parents specifically about the training.

Many parents whose children attended the training programmes based on the co-operation between NGS and GWIS are very worried and expected that NGS will have the solution to the case early.

Local newspapers reported that GWIS has also co-operated with many other schools across different localities in Vietnam.