Nghe An ensures 100% of ethnic minority students are fluent in Vietnamese

Morning of November 24,Department of Education and Trainingorganized a Conference on the Implementation Results of the Project Phase 1 "Enhancing Vietnamese for preschool children and primary school students in ethnic minority areas in the period 2017-2020, with a vision to 2025" in Nghe An province.

Overview of the conference. Photo: MH

Strengthening ProjectVietnamesefor preschool children and primary school students of ethnic minorities (2016-2020 period) to help them have basic skills in using Vietnamese to complete preschool education and primary education programs; create a premise for them to study and acquire knowledge of the next levels of education, contributing to improving the quality of education and contributing to the development of the country.

In Nghe An, for preschool level, the project implementation is carried out with many synchronous solutions such as enhancing learning materials, equipment, toys, and building a Vietnamese language environment for children to get acquainted with Vietnamese early. In addition, educational institutions have also flexibly and creatively integrated Vietnamese language enhancement content into children's daily activities to ensure that ethnic minority children can achieve age-appropriate educational goals.

Vietnamese language class for students of Yen Khe Kindergarten - Con Cuong. Photo: MH

With the efforts of the whole industry, by 2020, the rate of mobilizing ethnic minority children to go to school had many positive results, in which preschool children reached 92.6% (target 90%) and 100% of ethnic minority children in educational institutions were enhanced with Vietnamese, trained, and self-trained in ethnic minority languages ​​in the locality to communicate and take care of children.

In particular, 100% of ethnic minority children study 2 sessions/day and 100% attend boarding school. 100% of 5-year-old ethnic minority children who complete the preschool education program are well prepared with vocabulary and communication skills (listening, speaking, understanding) in Vietnamese before entering grade 1.

To effectively implement phase 2, at the conference, delegates also frankly pointed out difficulties such as lack of facilities and equipment in schools in remote areas, and lack of materials and tools for reference and use in teaching Vietnamese to ethnic minority children.

Some schools have many teachers from the lowlands who come to work but do not know the ethnic language, so there is a language barrier between teachers and children, limiting the organization of activities to enhance Vietnamese language for children.

Concluding the conference, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training Nguyen Van Khoa acknowledged and highly appreciated the efforts of localities in enhancing Vietnamese language for ethnic minority students. Many schools have had creative ways and activities, based on practical experience, language characteristics, and students' psychology to help them absorb, speak, read, and write Vietnamese effectively.

Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training Nguyen Van Khoa awarded certificates of merit from the Ministry of Education and Training to outstanding groups and individuals. Photo: MH

However, according to current new requirements, the Department's leaders hope that units need to continue to pay attention to building a Vietnamese language environment inside and outside the classroom; fostering and improving the capacity of managers and teachers; innovating the content and form of professional group activities, professional activities at school, school cluster, district cluster levels, etc.

At the same time, create conditions for cadres and teachers to exchange, learn and share good and creative ways in management and expertise in enhancing Vietnamese for children. In addition, annual funding for enhancing Vietnamese will be allocated to mountainous districts so that units can proactively implement the project.