Forty students from the ethnic minority community in a north-central Vietnamese province have spent three months using the space under the stilt house of a local villager as their schoolhouse. Kindergarten- and elementary-age students in the border community of Bat Mot, Thuong Xuan District, Thanh Hoa Province, which borders Laos, have taken classes in the makeshift school while awaiting financial support from the provincial government and local philanthropists. Torrential rains and flooding in October last year damaged all four classrooms in the local school, forcing the students to learn in an environment surrounded by crudely formed walls made of plastic sheeting. The original school, shared by preschoolers and elementary-schoolers alike, was constructed by the government so local students could avoid the six-mile trek to the center of Bat Mot, where other schools are located, according to Lang Van Thuy, vice-principal of the kindergarten in the commune. The school and local People’s Committee have repeatedly submitted proposals for a new facility to the Thuong Xuan People’s Committee, but authorities have yet to approve, citing extreme budget constraints. Thuy says freezing winter drafts cause the children to shiver throughout their lessons. The students stay at home for safety when the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
54 Vietnamese ethnic minority groups have their own languages, customs and scripts. Ten years ago, a book center for ethnic minority groups under the Education Publishing House was established to create better conditions for ethnic children to go to school and have books to study. The center is operated under the sponsorship of the National Assembly Council for Ethnic Minority Groups. It assists the director of the Education Publishing House in editing and publishing books in ethnic minority languages or bilingual books. The center also published textbooks and references in Mong, Hoa, Gia Rai, Ba Nam Cham, Ede and Khmer…... [read more]
CPV: Ta Oi and Van Kieu ethnic minority children have new kindergarten rooms built by the sweat of US veterans in partnership with Boeing Company and the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. Ten former US soldiers and pilots spent two weeks in the remote A Ngo commune, A Luoi district, Thua Thien - Hue province, near the Lao border, to work with local builders. They added three classrooms, a teacher's room, a kitchen, bathrooms and a playground to the kindergarten which was opened at an official ceremony today (September 18) "Getting a good start in education is important in this…... [read more]
Custom prevents ethnic minority children from attending school (17-03-2006) Fifth-grade students in Lao Cai Province's Van Ban District at a math-class.— VNA/VNS Photo Thong Nhat LAO CAI — Following a custom existing among certain ethnic minorities in the northern mountainous Lao Cai Province, students avoid going to school during the first month of the Lunar New Year, compounding problems of illiteracy among minority communities. The custom of abstaining from labour during the first month is still widely prevalent among Dao do and Mong ethnic minority communities, said Dinh Quang Hai, principal of the Nam Xay School, who incidentally had to…... [read more]
Thien Long builds school for ethnic minority children By Cong Thang in HCMC Thien Long Trading and Manufacturing Corp. has donated VND800 million to build a primary school and award studying utensils and cloths for children of ethnic minority group San Diu in Ban Chang Hamlet, Son Phu Commune in the northern province of Thai Nguyen. The new 150-square-meter school, under the community project for poor children called "legend prolonging voyage" inspired by a local magazine HTV-Chuong Gio and sponsored by Thien Long group, was inaugurated last week.... [read more]
Everyday, teachers have to travel nearly 20 kilometres of mountainous roads from the central Muong Te town of the northern province of Lai Chau to bring knowledge to 25 Sila ethnic minority children at Can Ho communal primary school. Seo Hai Point of the Can Ho communal primary school is situated 20 kilometres from the centre of Muong Te district. The pupils belong to the Sila ethnic minority, among Vietnam's smallest ethnic groups by population. Teacher Mao Thi Hue has been teaching pupils for 11 years in Muong Te district. Ms Hue teaches pupils whole-heartedly. "I have the answer". Pupils…... [read more]
