“Impressions” of the Hanoi School Milk program

When parents have faith

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 in the city, has had over 87% of students register. This number will continue to increase in the coming time because some non-public schools in the area have only now fully understood the humanity of the program and have conducted propaganda and announcements for 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: Right from the beginning of the program, parents were clearly informed that they could register their children to drink school milk at any time or could 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. That shows that parents' doubts have not only been dispelled but their trust has grown even greater after parents witnessed and monitored the quality and safety of school milk.

Some districts have a very high rate of parents registering for school milk for their children in public schools, up to nearly 100% such as Hoan Kiem, Tay Ho, Hai Ba Trung, Ha Dong... Mr. Le Hong Vu, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Tay Ho district, said that by the end of the second month of implementing the program, the number of students in the whole district participating was more than 97%, an increase of about 10% compared to the beginning.

This is quite surprising even to educational institutions themselves because just a few months ago, when they did not know which unit would provide school milk for their children, parents reacted quite strongly when schools asked for their initial opinions about implementing this program.

Children participating in the Hanoi School Milk Program drink milk by themselves and neatly fold the milk cartons after drinking and put them in the trash. Photo: PV

Actor and artist Luong Giang, who is also the parent of two children in preschool and primary school, commented: This is truly a meaningful program, which has been implemented in developed countries for a long time. For Vietnam, the program brings the opportunity to change the mentality of a future generation, making up for the nutritional disadvantages of grandparents and parents of children, who rarely drink milk during the "golden" period for development.

Added value beyond the milk carton

When the program had not yet been implemented, what parents found most confusing was why students were not allowed to take the milk cartons home to drink, and even the cartons had to be collected at school. This even made parents doubt the quality and safety of the milk cartons, which was not as committed by the program.

However, parents later understood thanks to the propaganda about the purpose of this requirement to monitor students drinking enough school milk at school, and at the same time collect waste neatly to ensure environmental issues.

Mr. Pham Xuan Tien said: Before children did not drink milk from the School Milk Program, there were no specific regulations so teachers gave milk to children without paying attention to whether the children drank it or not. Therefore, many parents complained that their children asked other friends to drink it for them or kept it without drinking it. Sometimes, they saw their children's school bags had 4-5 boxes of milk that they brought home from school.

“The issue of creating a habit for students to throw away trash neatly and in the right place is very important. Folding milk cartons is a group relaxation activity, the children really like it. I go to many kindergartens and primary schools and pay attention to see if students throw milk cartons around or not, and I am very happy that this phenomenon no longer exists,” 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 Department, Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company - Vinamilk: In addition to the quality of school milk, the program also equips students from preschool and primary school age with environmental protection awareness through instructing 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 Practice Kindergarten, Hoang Mai District, Hanoi, said: My child used to not like milk, but now he has changed, reminding his parents to buy milk for him to drink in the evening and on holidays when he sees that the house is out of milk. Moreover, preschool-age children, who were often forced by their parents to hold the milk carton for them to drink, now drink it themselves and even fold the milk carton after drinking and put it in the trash. "Those are the meaningful values ​​that I see the School Milk Program has brought," said Ms. Lan Anh.

Ms. Khuc Thi Mai - Principal of Ba Trieu Kindergarten, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi also affirmed: Milk time has become a favorite time of the day for students. The children drink milk in groups and then are very excited about the "performance" of folding milk cartons. "At first, we were also worried because we did not think that children at the age of 3 could fold milk cartons as neatly as older students, but after being guided by the teacher a few times and folding milk cartons with the children, now the children are really excited and do it very neatly" - Ms. Mai said.