Vietnam shares experience in increasing children's access to education

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha speaks at the conference (Photo: VNA)

Pretoria (VNA) – Education is especially important in eradicating child labour, Vietnam's representative said at the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in Durban, South Africa, and called for strengthening cooperation for the improvement of high school education, career orientation, and vocational training.

In her speech at the May 17 event, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha introduced solutions that the Vietnamese Government has been implementing to increase children’s access to education, as well as to reduce the risk of school dropping out and child labour.

The official said 94.4 percent of child population in Vietnam has gained access to education thanks to policies designed for the purpose implenented in parallel with those for social welfare and poverty reduction.

Many models and solutions, including those supporting children at risk of labour exploitation to access vocational training, have been rolled out via Government- and international-funded projects, she added.

The deputy minister also talked about Vietnam’s experience in ensuring education throughout the period of COVID-19 pandemic and in bringing children back to school after social distancing measures were lifted.

Vietnam will continue to act and look forward to receiving stronger technical and resources assistance to successfully implement the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially Target 8.7 on the abolition of child labour, she affirmed.

At the conference, the Vietnamese delegation, grouping representatives of the Government, trade unions, and employers, joined the discussion about investments and good practices in reducing direct and indirect costs of schooling and removing barriers to school access.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency on the sidelines of the event, Dang Hoa Nam, Director of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs’ Department of Child Protection and Care, said the delegation had proposed solutions to improve the quality of education and increase the access to education of children, especially those from poor and near-poor households who are at risk of falling victim to child labour./.