Vietnam Education Ministry Acts to Prevent Drop-outs

The Ministry of Education and Training has asked agencies and teachers to keep a close watch on students in danger of dropping out of school after the Lunar New Year holiday, which falls on early February this year. “Our policy is not to let students leave schools because of money or book shortage. Schools with poor students will be given support in the form of school fees, books or free lunches,” said Nguyen Dinh Manh, deputy director of the ministry’s Department of Students Activities. Every year, as many as 30% of students across the country drop out of school at the start of spring, Manh attributed. By the end of last November, more than 7% of students nationwide had already left schools. The provinces with most dropouts included Long An, An Giang, Dong Thap, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Thanh Hoa. Financial difficulty is the main reason for drop-outs. Many students were born into poor households who could not afford school expenses, especially those who endured the storm and floods in early November 2009, experts said. In fact, the government’s supports could not prevent them from giving up their studies, experts added, noting that poor students need more help to continue their education dreams. Vietnam welcomed 22 million pupils and students in the 2009-2010 school year. Of them, 3.47 million attended nursery schools and kindergarteners; around 6.84 million joined primary schools; 9.1 million took part in high schools and more than 1.8 million attended universities. (www.en.vietnamplus.vn Jan 11)