The "impressions" of the Hanoi School Milk Program.

Once parents have confidence

Mr. Pham Xuan Tien, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, said: The School Milk Program in Hanoi, implemented in kindergartens and primary schools across the city, has seen over 87% of students register. This number is expected to continue to increase in the future because some private schools in the area have only recently fully understood the humanitarian nature of the program and are now conducting awareness campaigns to encourage parents to register.

A teacher prepares milk for children participating in the School Milk Program at a school in Hanoi. Photo: PV

Mr. Tien also informed: From the very beginning of the program's implementation, parents were clearly informed that they could register their children for school milk at any time or stop at any time if they had any concerns or worries. However, statistics from schools show that after the program officially came into effect, the number of registrations only tended to increase. This shows that not only have parents' doubts been dispelled, but their trust has grown even greater after they witnessed and monitored the quality and safety of the school milk.

Some districts and counties have very high rates of parents registering their children for school milk programs in public schools, reaching nearly 100%, such as Hoan Kiem, Tay Ho, Hai Ba Trung, and Ha Dong… Mr. Le Hong Vu, Head of the Education and Training Department of Tay Ho district, said that by the end of the second month of implementing the program, the number of students participating throughout the district had reached over 97%, an increase of about 10% compared to the beginning.

This came as quite a surprise even to the educational institutions themselves, because just a few months ago, before knowing which unit would supply school milk for their children, parents reacted quite strongly when schools initially sought their opinions on implementing this program.

Children participating in the Hanoi School Milk Program drink the milk themselves and neatly fold the empty cartons before putting them in the trash can after finishing. Photo: PV

Actress and artist Luong Giang, who is also a parent of two children in preschool and elementary school, commented: "This is truly a meaningful program that developed countries have been implementing for a long time. For Vietnam, the program provides an opportunity to change the intellectual capacity of an entire future generation, compensating for the nutritional disadvantages of their grandparents and parents, who rarely had access to milk during the 'golden' period for development."

Value added beyond the milk carton

Before the program was implemented, what parents found most confusing was why students weren't allowed to take the milk cartons home to drink, and why all the empty cartons had to be collected at school. This even led parents to doubt the quality and safety of the milk cartons, questioning whether they met the program's promises.

However, parents later understood the purpose of this requirement after being informed: to monitor students to ensure they drink their full school milk allowance at school, and to collect waste properly to protect the environment.

Mr. Pham Xuan Tien said: "Previously, before children started drinking milk from the School Milk Program, there were no specific regulations, so teachers distributed milk to the children without paying attention to whether they drank it or not. Therefore, many parents complained that their children asked other children to drink it for them or hid it without drinking it. Sometimes, parents would find 4-5 cartons of milk in their children's school bags."

"Creating habits for students to dispose of trash neatly and in the designated places is very important. Folding milk cartons neatly is a relaxing group activity that the children really enjoy. I've visited many preschools and primary schools and observed whether students were littering with milk cartons, and I'm very pleased to see that this phenomenon no longer occurs," Mr. Tien shared.

The school milk program in Hanoi has been implemented very effectively. Photo: PV

According to Mr. Le Van Duc, Head of Community Communications at Vinamilk Joint Stock Company: In addition to the quality of school milk, the program also equips students from preschool and primary school age with environmental awareness by guiding them to fold milk cartons after use and collect and dispose of waste.

Confirming this, Ms. Lan Anh, a parent with a child at Linh Dam Practical Kindergarten in Hoang Mai District, Hanoi, said: "My child used to dislike milk, but now she has changed. She reminds her parents to buy milk for her to drink in the evenings and on weekends when she sees that the milk is running out. Moreover, while parents used to have to hold the milk carton for their children to drink, now the children drink it themselves and even fold the empty carton after drinking and put it in the trash can. These are meaningful values ​​that I see the School Milk Program has brought," Ms. Lan Anh said.

Ms. Khuc Thi Mai, Principal of Ba Trieu Kindergarten in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, also affirmed: Milk time has become a favorite time of day for the students. The children drink milk in groups and then enthusiastically participate in folding the milk cartons. "Initially, we were concerned because we didn't think that 3-year-old children could fold milk cartons as neatly as older students, but after a few times of guidance from the teachers and folding the cartons together with the children, they are now genuinely enthusiastic and do it very neatly on their own," Ms. Mai said.