VND239B Project to Develop Education for Ethnic Children

As many as 5,000 ethnic people including ? ?u, Pu Péo, Si La, R? M?m, C?ng, Braau, B? Y, M?ng, and C? Lao in northeastern provinces will benefit from a project to develop education for ethnic people by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET). The VND239-billion project is aimed at providing ethnic students with good education and healthcare services and localities with well-qualified staff, for the benefit of national industrialization and modernization, says MOET Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Nghia. The project will help develop infrastructure for the provinces and establish a policy to ensure that every child of primary school age will have the chance to study in their own village. Once completing primary school, they will be sent to a secondary boarding school. However, representatives from the provincial department of education and training of northeastern provinces like Lai Chau, Dien Bien, and Lao Cai say this will put a strain on the department due to a shortage of facilities. In response, Deputy Minister Nghia says the MOET asked schools to give priority to ethnic students during the approval process.