President Truong Tan Sang met with 78 outstanding ethnic minority students who attended a ceremony on Saturday honoring their achievements in the past academic year. President Sang said that the visit to the capital gave students the chance to exchange ideas and learn from one another. He hoped that they would return to their localities and contribute to development there. Addressing the ceremony in the morning, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc praised the great efforts of the students as well as the dedication of their teachers. He also took the occasion to stress the importance of education in sustainable poverty reduction, especially in mountainous areas inhabited by many ethnic minority people. The quality of education in areas with ethnic minority students improved significantly in recent years, although many still had to overcome obstacles to complete their studies, Ho Chi Minh Youth Union Central Committee First Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh said at the event. Deputy Minister and Vice Chairman of the Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs Nong Quoc Tuan, head of the ceremony's organizing board, said the education and training sector in such areas had developed significantly in recent years. He reported that the country had 304 boarding schools for ethnic minority students and said the committee would continue collaborating with ministries, branches and social organizations to mobilize resources for investment in education and training in these areas. The ceremony was co-organized by the Government's Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs and the Vietnam News Agency in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam Television and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union's Central Committee. It was also supported by a number of Korean companies in Vietnam. (Vietnam News Nov 3)
