Making Basic Education Even More Accessible

La Thi Huyen teaches in a primary school in Van May, a mountain village in northern Quang Ninh, Vietnam. Her pupils, primarily from ethnic minorities, have to walk between two and three kilometres along steep mountain paths to get to school.

An extensive nationally implemented program to improve access to primary school and provide disadvantaged children with high-quality education is making the situation easier for this teacher and her young charges.

"My pupils have been given good-quality shoes and proper uniforms," she explains. "It is easier for them to walk to school with suitable shoes and clothing, even when rain turns the paths to mud. They have also received new workbooks and school supplies."

La Thi Huyen benefits greatly as well, as the program enables her to upgrade her skills.

"I have the opportunity to meet once a week with colleagues who have had more teacher training than I and who share their knowledge with me," she states. "This is helping me to interact more effectively with my pupils and improve their participation in class."

In Khe Muoi, a neighbouring village, modern classrooms have been built next to the old school. Flooded with natural light and equipped with new desks, they offer a much better environment for learning.

According to Le Dinh Hung, who monitors the program within the province's Department of Education and Training, all of these actions have a common goal: to foster more regular school attendance, more enjoyment of the learning process, and more academic success.
It is true that despite excellent progress in education in recent years, about 30 percent of children in Vietnam do not complete their primary education at the proper age. Children at risk include those from poor families, street children, children with disabilities, and children from ethnic minorities.

To remedy the situation, Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training has set up an extensive program to provide better access to basic education for 2.7 million children. The program targets 40 provinces in Vietnam, one of which is Quang Ninh.

Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), along with Australia, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the World Bank, provides support for the program.

Since the program's inception in 2003, hundreds of schools have been built or renovated, thousands of teachers have received training to maintain their skills, and tens of thousands of schoolbooks, uniforms and shoes have been purchased and distributed.

Le Dinh Hung adds that the program also has positive spinoffs in other areas.

"The program brings change in the localities where it is run," he says. "Parents are placing more and more importance on education. Some are even lending a hand, preparing noontime meals for the pupils. The school is becoming the heart of community life."

Education is by far the best investment for ensuring a country's development. By making it even more accessible to children, Vietnam is laying the foundation for a better future for an entire generation.

Remarkable results

The Primary Education for Disadvantaged Children Program targets children in 40 of Vietnam's poorest provinces. As of the end of 2010:

• 2.7 million children have benefitted from the program
• More than 16,000 schools have been built
• 312,865 teachers have received training
• 7,026 teachers' aides have received training in how to help ethnic minority students in Grade 1 follow the national curriculum
• Students were provided with workbooks, educational material, and school supplies according to need
• An inclusive education policy and strategy have been drafted and submitted to government

To find out more, consult the project profile in Project Browser, the most complete source of information about CIDA-funded projects.