The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) is building an education development master plan for the country’s smallest ethnic minority groups.

Students at a classroom in Muong Nhe rural district of Dien Bien.

The plan for 2009-2015 aims to preserve and develop ethnic minority groups, said deputy minister Nguyen Vinh Hien yesterday at a conference on education for ethnic minorities.

Under the master plan, 100 per cent of ethnic minority children 3-5 years old would have nursery schools to attend, and 100 per cent of youth would have primary education with access to boarding schools, scholarships, clothes and cooking.

The plan also targets to have 100 per cent of junior and senior high school pupils to study at boarding schools and creates favourable conditions for them to join university entrance exams, he said.

The plan drew a roadmap for building facilities for ethnic minority children, training teachers, developing curriculum, as well as creating policies to support ethnic minority children, pupils and teachers, Hien added.

At the workshop, many delegates proposed the State and relevant ministries and agencies take measures to ensure sustainable development for ethnic minority groups, such as providing financial aid for localities to build more schools and houses and investing in safe water supplies and latrines.

It was suggested that MoET adjust curriculum to ensure students learn knowledge suitable with their ability, learning conditions and socio-economic development.

The State and the ministry should have specific targets to provide financial aid for disadvantaged localities, which have a large ethnic minority population to create favourable education conditions for local children.

Delegates also discussed achievements made in ensuring sustainable development for ethnic minority groups over the past years thanks to policies and programmes of the State and Government which have helped ethnic minority groups gradually reduce poverty and have access to safe water and better education.

Viet Nam has 54 ethnic groups, which includes the nine smallest ethnic minority groups, namely Co Lao, Bo Y, Cong, Si La, Pu Peo, Ro Mam, Brau, O Du and Mang. They mainly inhabit in the border mountainous provinces of Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Nghe An and Dak Lak.

VietNamNet/VNS