Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) held a ceremony to launch the school healthcare program for the 2021-2025 period on February 10 in Hanoi, aiming to ensure the physical and mental well-being of Vietnamese students and improve their height and fitness.

The program was launched at a time when Vietnam is taking steps to reopen schools after closure for months to help contain the Covid-19 spread.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the activities of health care and protection of the country's students and future generations have received more and better attention.

“The MoET have to perform its role as coordinator among relevant ministries, branches, individuals and organizations to accomplish the program’s targets,” Chinh said.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the launching ceremony. Photo: Tran Vuong

Besides, the Ministries of Finance; Health; Culture, Sports and Tourism; the People's Committees of the provinces and cities, and organizations should join the school healthcare program to protect the children and take care of their health so as to give the best for minors, the PM added.

The program demonstrates the Vietnamese Government's resolve to better care for children and students, Chinh said, stressing that the Party and State always pay attention to education, training, protecting and caring for health of the public and school health.

He urged ministries, agencies and localities to closely coordinate in implementing the program, and called for the response of each school, family, student and individual.

The PM stressed the need to improve child nutrition, especially in the areas hit hard by the pandemic, and cut course load, firstly at the primary level, to help students find joys at schools.

For his part, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son said this is a comprehensive program on healthcare for preschool children and high school students.

“The well-implemented tasks and solutions of the school healthcare program will contribute to raising awareness and responsibility of all levels and sectors in formulating and executing the policies, creating linkages with the community in student healthcare,” Son stressed.

With the message "Safe schools, healthy students", for the first time in Vietnam, a large-scale, practical and meaningful program on school healthcare has been conducted and expected to nurture a healthy, dynamic and mature Vietnamese generation.

The program includes specific goals for physical education activities, school nutrition, and communication on school-based healthcare.

Launching ceremony of the school healthcare program for the period of 2021-2025. Photo: Tran Vuong

Under the program, Vietnam aims to have at least 80% of schools meeting the requirements on healthcare for students and 75% providing sufficient drinking water and freshwater.

With regards to physical education, 80% of schools are expected to have a dedicated area with the necessary equipment for physical exercises, 100% of schools will regularly hold sports competitions and be staffed with qualified physical education teachers.

The program has set the goal that school meals at all educational facilities must meet requirements on nutrition and safety with at least 60% of schools providing milk and milk-based products in their meals. Although facing many difficulties in the first years of implementation, millions of boxes of milk are regularly sent to students, ensuring the effective implementation of the program.

The Vietnamese Government has built many programs to support the growth of children and invest in high-quality human resources for the country in the future.

The above-mentioned school milk project has helped to improve the nutritional status of preschool and primary students, thereby contributing to the physical and intellectual development of children.

Besides, school healthcare education must be a focus. All students are expected to be equipped with knowledge on preventing diseases, proper nutrition, healthy foods, and mental health.

Specifically, schools need to be equipped with medical equipment and medicine to ensure the effective implementation of school healthcare work, meeting the requirements of disease prevention and control, especially amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

TH Group pioneers to accompany with the school healthcare program

TH Group’s CEO Thai Huong speaks at the launching ceremony. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Speaking at the launching ceremony as a companion, TH Group’s CEO Thai Huong said that over the years, her group has actively stood by the education sector in health activities.

“The most notable recent is the school meal model, which has been conducted by the MoET and TH Group in ten provinces and cities for the past two years. The model is a breakthrough solution that combines healthy nutrition with optimal physical activity under the close management of teachers and parents,” Huong said.

She also affirmed that TH Group is committed to keeping to accompany with the school healthcare activities in the 2021-2025 period, to contribute to bringing positive changes to schools, and nurturing a healthy and mature Vietnamese generation.