Yen Bai: Save the Children helps ethnic kids prepare for primary school

(VNF) – Yen Bai province’s department of Education and Training in coordination with the People’s Committee of Van Chan district, Mu Cang Chai district and Save the Children recently held a conference to introduce the project “Improving Vietnamese ethnic children’s readiness for school and study results”.

200 delegates including leaders of Yen Bai province’s department of Education and Training, the People’s Committee of Van Chan district, Office of Education and Training of Van Chan district, and the People’s Commitee of benefiting communes attended the event.

In the conference, delegates were briefed on the project’s goals, its beneficiaries as well as approaches and activities to be carried out in the community.

The project aims to facilitate ethnic kids’ acccess to quality learning environment. (photo: Save the Children Vietnam)

According to the conference’s chair, Ha Thi Minh Ly, Yen Bai province’s Vice Director of the Department of Education and Training, who is also the Head of the project, the goal of the project is to improve the level of readiness for school and study results of ethnic children aged 3-11, via enhancing teachers’ capacity and parents, to support children’s writing and reading skills.

In more details, the project aims to facilitate ethnic kids’ acccess to quality learning environment, as well as promoting policies which focus on best practices in improving reading, writing and Maths skills of the children.

According to Le Thi Thanh Mai, project manager of Save the Children, providing children of ethnic minorities with quality education foundation right at the start of their schooling will create favorable condition for them to proceed to higher level of education and secure a stable job in the future.

She also noted that those approaches will be complemented with bilingual education curriculum based on mother tongue in order to break down the language barrier between teachers and students.

The project will be conducted in 3 years (2018-2021) with an estimated budget of VND 27 billion and benefit 5,000 preschool-age children and 400 teachers in 6 kindergartens and 8 primary schools in two districts of Van Chan and Mu Cang Chai of Yen Bai province.

In addition, over 2,000 parents will receive training to improve their capacity to support kids in honing reading and writing skills at home./.

( Phi Yen )