4.4 million preschool students miss school in 2021-22
Closures have affected up to 4.4 million preschool children over the 2021-22 period when the COVID-19 outbreak worsened in Vietnam, according to the education ministry.
A kindergarten in Hanoi on April 13, 2022, the first day of reopening after nearly a year of closure due to COVID-19. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Closures have affected up to 4.4 million preschoolchildren over the 2021-22 period when the COVID-19 outbreak worsened inVietnam, according to the education ministry.
During an online conference held by the ministry on the maintenance ofkindergarten operations amid COVID-19, it is said that due to thecharacteristic nature of the kindergarten-level education where online classesare not possible, kindergarten teachers – who still remained in the profession– would have made videos on caring for the kids and some lessons to provide forparents.
Some argue that the education sector needs to find solutions for children tohave access to preschool programmes, to ensure children’s rights, especiallyfor children aged five years old, to prepare them for Grade 1 in primaryschools, as many parents are still not confident about sending their kids toschools.
Experts also said that it is necessary to consult with the Government andpropose to the Ministry of Health to organise vaccination against COVID-19 forchildren under five years old.
To date, nearly 100 percent of the adult population in Vietnam has been fullyvaccinated against COVID-19 (with 55 percent receiving the booster shotalready), while 96.3 percent of the children aged 12-17 years have received thefull two doses.
Vietnam has just begun to inoculate the young children aged 5-12 years inmid-April, and nearly 900,000 first doses have been administered in this agegroup so far.
According to the report from 63 provincial/municipal education and trainingdepartments, by April 18, 2022, preschool educational institutions across Vietnamhave all reopened.
At this time, the number of teachers at this level has basically met the needsof children attending in-person activities. The rate of children's in-personparticipation in localities was quite low at first, but now the number hasstabilised.
Deputy education minister Ngo Thi Minh stressed that we must not let COVID-19disrupt the development of children, asking local governments to pay attentionto private kindergarten institutions that are still reeling from long periodsof shutdowns, to ensure children’s learning rights.
The Government has also approved a credit package of 1.4 trillion VND (60.9million USD) to support private kindergartens and primary schools, she noted./.
Around 600,000 preschool students in all 30 urban and outlying districts and townships of Hanoi returned to school on April 13 after a year of online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of April 18, school attendance had reached 99.57 percent after all schools were reopened post-COVID-19, data from the Ministry of Education and Training shows.
The vaccination of children aged between five and under 12 years old have been carried out safely in many localities over the past few days and no incidents have been recorded so far.
As of April 23 afternoon, 374,255 doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered to children from 5 to under 12 years old in 41 out of the 63 provinces and cities nationwide, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH).
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A kindergarten in Hanoi on April 13, 2022, the first day of reopening after nearly a year of closure due to COVID-19. (Photo: VNA) 
