Schools in Nghe An proactively ensure safety and health for students during cold weather

Strengthen cold protection measures

It was almost 10am but the school yard of Nam Can 1 Primary Boarding School - Ky Son was still covered in fog, cold weather, and wet rain. In the past two days, the number of students absent from school due to cold, illness and colds has also increased, more than 20 students per day.

Discussing more about teaching conditions, teacher Nguyen Thi Phuong - Principal of the school said: Early this morning, the temperature in Nam Can was about 9 degrees and now it is 12-13 degrees Celsius. However, due to the cold weather combined with light drizzle, it is very cold, the coldest spell since the beginning of winter.

Nam Can 1 Primary Boarding School - Ky Son has 488 students, and there are 3 satellite schools in Tien Tieu, Khanh Thanh and Noong De villages. There are also 189 students from grade 3 and above staying at the school. Due to the high number of boarding students, these days, despite the cold weather, students in the school still go to school as usual.

"We are temporarily reassured because the boarding house for students is currently well-invested, has glass doors to limit wind and cold from entering. Students are provided with enough mattresses and warm blankets" - Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong - Principal of the school added.

These days, the menu for boarding students has also been adjusted. Accordingly, in the morning, the daily menu such as bread and banh chung has been replaced with hot rice or porridge and noodles. At noon and evening, all food is cooked by the kitchen close to the time and placed in a tray, sealed to ensure it is still warm. At noon and evening, the kitchen will boil more hot water for students to bathe. Currently, the school's students have not had a day off, but the school board will regularly monitor the weather so that if the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius, the school will report to the Department of Education and Training and proactively let students take a day off.

Through investigation at the Department of Education and Training of Ky Son district, on the morning of January 23, no school in the district has announced that students will be off school. However, the weather in the past 2 days has been rainy and cold, much colder than the previous days, with many places experiencing severe cold such as Tay Son, Nam Can, Muong Long, Na Ngoi communes...

We have directed schools to have solutions to prevent and combat the cold for students, to consolidate facilities to ensure warmth, avoid drafts, and have enough light for students to study. For schools with children, boarding and semi-boarding students must ensure food rations, clean food, hot food and drinks, enough energy and prepare enough medicine to serve school health work.

Mr. Pham Viet Phuc - Head of Education and Training Department of Ky Son district

In Tuong Duong district, teacher Le Tuyen Huan - Principal of Huu Khuong Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities said that on the morning of January 23, the local temperature fluctuated between 10 - 11 degrees Celsius, so all students were still allowed to go to school.

Because Huu Khuong is a special commune, like an oasis in the middle of Ban Ve hydroelectric lake, the villages are far apart, and most of them have to travel by boat, most of the students of the school stay in boarding houses for convenience in studying. To ensure the safety and health of students in cold conditions, the school also adjusts the school schedule accordingly. Accordingly, the morning class starts at 8:00, breaks at 11:15 and has lunch. The afternoon class starts earlier and breaks early to avoid the cold.

Proactively let students stay home from school if it is very cold

Since the beginning of winter, this is the periodsevere coldstrongest in Nghe An province. This also affects the organization of teaching and learning in schools, especially in schools in mountainous districts.

To ensure the safety of students going to school in complicated weather conditions, from the beginning of the school year, in the Decision approving the School Year Plan, the Department of Education and Training decided to let kindergarten and primary school students stay home when the temperature is below 10 degrees Celsius, and let middle school students stay home when the temperature is below 7 degrees Celsius.

In addition, heads of educational institutions decide to let students stay home from school when there is a natural disaster; in case a natural disaster occurs while students are working at the educational institution, the head of the educational institution is responsible for organizing the implementation of measures to ensure absolute safety for students.

In particular, from the end of December until now, in response to the forecast of complicated weather developments, the Department of Education and Training continues to issue official dispatches on directing the prevention of severe cold for students.

Specifically, to prevent cold this winter and spring, to ensure the health of children and students,Department of Education and Trainingrequire units to strictly implement the directives. In particular, focus on regularly reminding parents to dress their preschool children warmly and students to dress themselves warmly. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to students in boarding and semi-boarding schools from ensuring clean, safe food, suitable for cold weather conditions.

On days of severe weather, based on the actual weather conditions of each region, schools can adjust school start and end times so that students do not have to arrive at school too early. Students are not required to wear uniforms, latecomers are not required to wait outside the school gate, physical education and national defense education classes are arranged reasonably, and outdoor activities are limited on very cold days.

During the time students are off school due to prolonged cold weather, qualified schools can switch to online teaching; schools that do not organize online teaching can continue to carry out other professional activities according to regulations.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Hoan - Chief of Office of Department of Education and Training