From the "white rice with ginger" incident, the representative of the Ministry of Education and Training spoke up.

Before the recent sensational VTV report "White rice with ginger" was released, Dan Viet Newspaper reporter had an interview with Ms. Vu Thi Anh, Deputy Head of the Department of Ethnic Education, Ministry of Education and Training and Mr. Nguyen Anh Thuy, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Mu Cang Chai district regarding this issue.

Bộ GDĐT nói gì trước phóng sự — Image of preschool children eating at Mang Mu school, Mo De commune, Mu Cang Chai district, Yen Bai province. Photo: Screenshot.

Many policies for students in difficult areas

According to Ms. Vu Thi Anh, Deputy Director of the Department of Ethnic Education, Ministry of Education and Training: "Students in ethnic minority areas, mountainous areas, coastal areas and islands in general and students in Mu Cang Chai district, Yen Bai province in particular always receive special attention from the Party and State. They are currently enjoying the policies of the Central Government as well as additional support policies at the local level.

Specifically, the Government's policies stipulate as follows: In Article 5 of the support level in Decree 116 of 2016, the policy to support students and general schools in communes and villages with special difficulties is to be supported with food, housing and rice with the level of food support for each student being supported each month equal to 40% of the basic salary and enjoyed for no more than 9 months/school year/student; Housing support for students who have to provide their own accommodation because the school cannot arrange boarding in the school, each month is supported with 10% of the basic salary and enjoyed for no more than 9 months/school year/student; Rice support, each student is supported with 15kg of rice each month and enjoyed for no more than 9 months/school year/student.

Boarding ethnic minority schools are supported with investment in facilities and equipment, including housing, beds, kitchens, dining rooms, bathrooms, sanitary facilities, clean water facilities and accompanying equipment for boarding students... In cases where boarding ethnic minority schools organize centralized cooking for students, funding for cooking services for students is supported according to a minimum budget of 135% of the basic salary/month/30 students...

In Circular 109 of 2029, students studying at ethnic boarding schools under the Ministry of Education and Training, ethnic boarding schools of provinces and districts, and ethnic preparatory universities are exempted from tuition fees and receive policy scholarships equal to 80% of the State's minimum wage and are entitled to receive them for 12 months a year. If students study and practice well, achieving good results or better (in the previous school year), the school will reward them once a year from 400,000-800,000 VND/student. In addition, they also enjoy the policy of providing a one-time in-kind certificate and some personal belongings...

In Article 9, Decree 84 of 2020 also states: "For students studying under the nomination system, students of preparatory universities, boarding schools for ethnic minorities; students of vocational training institutions for war invalids and people with disabilities: The scholarship level is equal to 80% of the basic salary/month".

For preschool children, Article 7 of the lunch support policy for preschool children in Decree 105/2020/ND-CP states that children who are eligible for lunch support are 160,000 VND/child/month. The support period is calculated based on the actual number of school months, but not exceeding 9 months/school year.

"Children's benefits have been paid directly to parents"

Mr. Nguyen Anh Thuy, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Mu Cang Chai district, said that after the incident, the District People's Committee had a specific report. In particular, the results of implementing the policy to support preschool children in the 2023-2024 school year and the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year of the school are as follows:

Regime according to Decree 81/2021/ND-CP: Support for study costs for the 2023-2024 school year with 9,562 students receiving benefits, with a total cost of more than 6.4 billion VND.

In the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year, 4,646 students will benefit with a total cost of nearly 2.8 billion VND.

Tuition subsidy: In the 2023-2024 school year, 9,523 students will benefit with a total cost of nearly 1.2 billion VND. In the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year, 4,680 students will benefit with a total cost of 509 million VND.

Regime according to Decree 105/2020/ND-CP: Lunch support for the 2023-2024 school year for 9,585 students with a total cost of nearly 6.9 billion VND.

In the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year, 4,655 students will benefit with a total cost of nearly 3 billion VND.

For lunch support for preschool children with school meals funded by the school, the school will organize the cooking to ensure that children have hot rice and soup for lunch, ensuring their health and limiting the rate of malnutrition in children.

Current situation of Mo De Kindergarten, this school year has 15 classes with 415 children. Na Hang main school has 4 classes with 114 students, Mo De satellite school has 1 class with 32 students, Mi Hang satellite school has 1 class with 34 students, Sang Nhu satellite school has 3 classes with 84 students, Mang Mu satellite school has 5 classes with 141 students, Hang Phu Loa satellite school has 1 class with 26 students.

Implementing the policy, the school organizes lunch for children at the main and separate locations. Children's policies are paid directly to parents when approved and funded.

As for Mang Mu school, because it has a temporary kitchen, it only organizes cooking 2 sessions/day on Tuesday and Thursday with the level of 10,000 VND/meal/child (parents contribute food equivalent to 10,000 VND). Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, when students bring lunch boxes, the school has promoted to parents and called for social mobilization to cook more hot soup to supplement the children's meals. Therefore, on September 23, 2024 (Monday), the VTV reporter team came to the school to make a report, which was the day children brought lunch boxes, the school organized to cook hot soup for the children to eat with the support of teachers.

Source: https://danviet.vn/tu-vu-bua-com-trang-voi-gung-dai-dien-bo-gddt-len-tieng-20240928152243771.htm