More kids attend kindergarten
HA NOI — The number of children in poverty stricken areas going to kindergarten have increased sharply following a Prime Minister’s decision to provide education to children residing in poor communes.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, except for six communes, all others nationwide have kindergartens, and nearly 80 per cent of the five-year-old children have gone to kindergarten.
Before the Prime Minister’s 2002 decision, which laid the foundation for increasing the number of kindergartens in poverty stricken areas, 222 communes nationwide did not have one, and another 323 communes had only provision for one kindergarten class each.
The six communes which do not have a kindergarten are Du Gia, Thang Tin, Sung Trai and Xuan Minh communes in Ha Giang mountainous province; and Tho Chau and Van Khanh in Kien Giang Province. By the end of the year these communes would also have kindergartens, the ministry said.
Speaking at a workshop, to review two years of implementing the decision, held in Ha Noi recently, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem said the plan succeeded because of the determination of local authorities at different levels in executing the action programme by utilising resources properly for training kindergarten teachers and building schools and classes.
Provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Kien Giang and Ca Mau have in particular made great efforts to built schools and classes, he added. All the 78 communes in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau have kindergartens.
The finance for the project was mobilised from the State budget, the National Fund for Vietnamese Children, school consolidation programme, 135 poverty alleviation programmes, loans and other sources, the ministry said.
To improve kindergarten education, many provinces also took measures to increase the number of teachers in the non-State education sector and those from ethnic minority people. There are about 7,500 ethnic teachers at present.
The teaching method and content was improved to encourage children to go to kindergarten. While many targets have been achieved, a lot remains to be done. Many kindergartens still lack necessary facilities because of capital shortage.
While a Government regulation stipulates each province to invest 10 per cent of their annual education budget in kindergartens, only 18 out of 64 provinces have been able to do so, the ministry said. Three provinces have invested less than 5 per cent.
In addition, many provinces have not paid contracted teachers their full wages as per the decision that put their minimum wage on par with teachers of the State.
To solve these problems, the ministry has asked the Government for a subsidy of VND450 billion a year to help the poorest communes in 25 mountainous provinces upgrade kindergarten facilities, and VND12-15 billion for improving content and teaching methods.
The Government has also been asked to work out a policy to encourage social organisations participating in kindergarten education, especially in semi-public kindergarten schools. —VNS
Young children to get free health care
HA NOI — According to the Ministry of Health, approximately 9 million children under six years of age will now enjoy free health care, thanks to a Prime Ministerial decision.
The Prime Minister adopted the new protocol last week as part of his laws that aim to protect, educate and support youth. Under the decision, children under six-years-old will be issued a health card and will only have to show it when receiving health care check-ups instead of payment.
The card will remain valid until the child is aged 72 months, and will be supplied by the local People’s Committee. When going to the hospital, parents must show the card. If the child does not have a card, parents may show a birth certificate and a communal People’s Committee certificate. — VNS
Viet Nam News, March 23, 2005
