Kindergartens and primary schools have been set up in every commune in the country as part to the Government’s National Programme of Education For All for the 2003-15 period.
Pham Ngoc Dinh, deputy head of the Ministry of Education and Training’s Primary Education Department, said that about 80 percent of children under five years old now attended kindergartens, while more than 96 percent of children aged six now attended primary schools.
Dinh said that more ethnic minority children now had the chance to attend a primary school.
He also said the quality of pre-education had improved.
According to the ministry, in the 2008-09 school year, 13 percent of kindergartens met national education standards.
He said next year the target was 15 percent.
Meanwhile, he said 94 percent of kindergarten teachers had received help with boosting education standards.
Under the programame, 2.585 billion USD is being spent on boosting pre-and primary education and on popularising life skills for children above 15 years old. The money is also being spent on tackling gender inequality in primary and secondary schools and on improving standards.
Officials from the ministry said 16.82 percent of primary schools did not have a library, 3.37 percent of six-year-olds did not have access to school, while 2 percent of students dropped out of school.
Dinh added that the country was aiming to have 70 percent of disabled children attend school this year. He also said 100 percent of schools would have a computer laboratory and receive free text books by 2015.
However, the ministry said that there was still a teacher shortage and a lack of equipment, particularly in rural areas.
He added that teacher salaries were also too low, while teachers at ethnic minority kindergartens lacked language skills.
Dinh said representatives from local education and training departments had suggested that the Government and the ministry use money from the Initiative Fund to improve the quality of pre-school education and to popularise the Vietnamese language among ethnic minority children./.
Pham Ngoc Dinh, deputy head of the Ministry of Education and Training’s Primary Education Department, said that about 80 percent of children under five years old now attended kindergartens, while more than 96 percent of children aged six now attended primary schools.
Dinh said that more ethnic minority children now had the chance to attend a primary school.
He also said the quality of pre-education had improved.
According to the ministry, in the 2008-09 school year, 13 percent of kindergartens met national education standards.
He said next year the target was 15 percent.
Meanwhile, he said 94 percent of kindergarten teachers had received help with boosting education standards.
Under the programame, 2.585 billion USD is being spent on boosting pre-and primary education and on popularising life skills for children above 15 years old. The money is also being spent on tackling gender inequality in primary and secondary schools and on improving standards.
Officials from the ministry said 16.82 percent of primary schools did not have a library, 3.37 percent of six-year-olds did not have access to school, while 2 percent of students dropped out of school.
Dinh added that the country was aiming to have 70 percent of disabled children attend school this year. He also said 100 percent of schools would have a computer laboratory and receive free text books by 2015.
However, the ministry said that there was still a teacher shortage and a lack of equipment, particularly in rural areas.
He added that teacher salaries were also too low, while teachers at ethnic minority kindergartens lacked language skills.
Dinh said representatives from local education and training departments had suggested that the Government and the ministry use money from the Initiative Fund to improve the quality of pre-school education and to popularise the Vietnamese language among ethnic minority children./.
