The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has required localities to reexamine the operation of private kindergartens, which have recently been at the center of several serious cases of child maltreatment. Unlicensed and poor quality private kindergartens would be forced to close down next year to assure the child safety, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thi Nghia said. Departments of Education and Training have been required to implement regular inspections or random checks on local private kindergartens, Nghia added. Initial results are asked to report to the ministry by next February. The move has been followed series of cases about child maltreatment at private babysitting houses reported in recent months, raising public concerns and controversies on education forums. Figures from the ministry showed that up to 40% of private nursery schools are unlicensed nationwide. In Hanoi, about 23% of 800 private nursery schools and businesses are unlicensed. In 2008, the capital city forced 400 illegal nursery schools to close. Vietnam now has more than three million children aged 0-6 being taken care at 12,000 preschools, of which 50% are private ones. It has targeted to bring education chance to 97% of five-year-old children in the next ten years. (Vietnam News Dec 24 p3)
