Bring the two eighth-grade students back to school soon after they get married.

On the afternoon of March 2nd, responding to the Nghe An Newspaper and Radio and Television, Mr. Nguyen Trong Hoan – Chief of the Office of the Department of Education and Training – stated that the Department had received a report from Na Loi Ethnic Boarding Junior High School (Na Loi commune) regarding two Mong students dropping out of school to get married. Upon learning of the situation, the Department has requested the school to cooperate with local authorities to encourage the students to return to school, preventing further dropouts.

According to a representative from the Department of Education and Training, this incident once again raises concerns about child marriage.students drop out of schoolAfter the Lunar New Year, this also serves as a valuable lesson in managing boarding students and requires schools to strengthen monitoring of student numbers, understand the thoughts and circumstances of each student, and provide timely support.

Previously, according to a report from Na Loi Ethnic Boarding Junior High School, on the evening of February 23, 2026, despite having returned to school after the Tet holiday, two students, Ly Hai A (8th grade, residing in Huoi Vieng village, Na Loi commune) and Ly Hoa D (8th grade, residing in Noong Han village, Na Loi commune), left the boarding facility.

According to the school's initial verification, the two girls voluntarily left school to follow two other young men residing in Xam Xum village (Muong Long commune). Subsequently, the families of the young men performed some rituals according to local customs to officially recognize the girls as daughters-in-law in their families.

Immediately after the incident occurred, the school's Board of Directors promptly reported to the Party Committee and People's Committee of Na Loi commune; coordinated with the commune police, relevant departments, organizations, and the students' families to assess the situation. At the same time, the school proactively contacted the local government and organizations in Muong Long commune to coordinate the dissemination of legal regulations on marriage and family, analyze the consequences of child marriage, and encourage families to create conditions for the children to continue their studies.

By the morning of March 2nd, the families of the two students had informed the school that they expected the two children to return to school on the morning of March 3rd to resume their normal studies.

Regarding this matter, Mr. Nguyen Tan Phuong, Principal of Na Loi Ethnic Boarding Junior High School, said: After the Lunar New Year, nearly 40 students were absent from school, and most of them have now returned. As for the incident involving two 8th-grade students who dropped out to get married, it happened at night, so the school was unable to prevent it in time.

According to the school principal, following these two unfortunate cases, the school will continue to strengthen the management of boarding school discipline, promote awareness campaigns against child marriage, organize psychological counseling, and closely coordinate with local authorities to maintain student enrollment and reduce the number of students dropping out.

The problem of students dropping out of school and marrying early has been occurring for many years in many schools in the mountainous areas of Nghe An province. To mitigate this, before the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday, the Department of Education and Training requested that schools promptly implement measures to prevent students from dropping out after the holiday. These measures include reviewing students at risk of dropping out, classifying them to provide appropriate support, and ensuring that no student is forced to drop out due to difficult circumstances.

In addition, it is necessary to promote life skills education, raise awareness of the consequences of child marriage and consanguineous marriage; and integrate the content of these awareness campaigns into class activities and flag-raising ceremonies.

In the long term, the Education sector recognizes that maintaining student enrollment and reducing dropout rates is not only the responsibility of schools but also requires the coordinated efforts of the entire political system and the community. Currently, Nghe An province has 8 ethnic boarding schools and 84 ethnic semi-boarding schools across all three levels of education. Thanks to these efforts, the teaching and living conditions for students in remote areas have improved. This has somewhat reduced dropout rates and helped schools gradually stabilize their classes and maintain student enrollment before, during, and after the Lunar New Year.