For the comprehensive development of ethnic minority children

Ensuring the rights of children in ethnic minority areas is an important task, receiving great attention from the Party, State and people, and implementing many strategies to realize the goal of social justice and build a prosperous life for children in the highlands.

Addressing the problem of stunting among ethnic minority children should be a top priority to reduce the burden of disease, for their bright future and to enhance socio-economic development. (Source: Binh Thuan Provincial People's Committee)

The wise path

On July 12, speaking at the online conference to review ethnic work in the first 6 months of the year and deploy tasks for the last 6 months of 2023, Minister and Chairman Hau A Lenh, the Ethnic Committee is chairing and coordinating with ministries and branches to implement the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period.

The program contributes to better care for ethnic minority children in terms of physical condition, knowledge and skills; at the same time, ensuring children have access to the best social services, including: Project 5 (Developing education and training to improve the quality of human resources), Project 7 (Taking care of people's health, improving the physical condition and stature of ethnic minorities; preventing child malnutrition), Project 8 (Implementing gender equality and solving urgent problems for women and children), Project (Investing in the development of very small ethnic minority groups and ethnic groups with many difficulties).

Regarding the implementation budget, on August 15, 2023, the Ministry of Finance issued Circular No. 55/TT-BTC regulating the management, use and settlement of career funds from the state budget to implement national target programs for the 2021-2030 period.

Accordingly, newborns from ethnic minorities with special difficulties are supported for screening and treatment according to the List of common congenital diseases prescribed by the Ministry of Health; one-time support for travel expenses for children to medical facilities for congenital disease screening up to a maximum of VND 500,000/child.

Children under 5 years old with severe acute malnutrition are supported with treatment up to 3 million VND/child; support to ensure nutritious meals with instant rice/porridge formula and school milk for children at public preschools up to 550,000 VND/month/child. The support period is based on the actual number of months of schooling and the maximum support is not more than 36 months/child.

At the 6th session of the National Assembly on 3 national target programs on October 30, National Assembly delegate Chau Quynh Dao (Kien Giang) affirmed that this is an important program in protecting, caring for, and educating children, helping them access services in the best way, reflecting the motto of leaving no one behind.

Our Party and State always pay attention to the work of protecting, caring for and educating children, creating a safe and healthy living environment for children to develop comprehensively in terms of physical, intellectual, spiritual and moral aspects. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

Outstanding effort

In Lang Son, although it is a mountainous, border province with many difficult socio-economic conditions, this locality always pays special attention and care to the protection and care of children, especially children in ethnic minority and disadvantaged areas, to develop comprehensively.

Permanent Vice Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People's Committee Duong Xuan Huyen said that districts and cities have reviewed, compiled lists, and issued health insurance cards so that children under 6 years old can receive free medical examination and treatment at public health facilities according to regulations. The whole province has over 74,730 children under 6 years old issued health insurance cards, reaching a rate of 100%.

In addition, 100% of 6-year-old children in the province are admitted to grade 1; 100% of children completing primary school enter grade 6. Children experience practical activities, contributing to the training of life skills. Orphans, abandoned children, and children with disabilities of school age are allowed to attend integrated classes and receive educational incentives according to regulations.

For Quang Ninh province, the Provincial People's Committee has approved the Project "Propaganda and mobilization to improve nutrition and physical strength for children in highland, ethnic minority and mountainous areas of Quang Ninh province, period 2022-2025". Thereby, contributing to preventing malnutrition in children, reducing the rate of underweight children under 5 years old to below 11% by 2025 and to below 17% for stunting.

Accordingly, the province spent more than 8 billion VND from the state budget to implement activities to improve nutrition and physical strength for children in 64 communes in 8 localities and 16 communes with the highest rate of malnourished children under 5 years old in the province at present.

In Binh Phuoc province, by the end of August 2021, 100% of districts, towns and cities in the province had developed plans and implemented activities to ensure basic rights of children such as birth registration, health care, entertainment, learning, etc.

The rate of children attending primary school at the right age reached 99.6%. The rate of communes, wards and towns with playgrounds for children managed by communes, wards and towns reached 100%. Over 96% of children in special circumstances received assistance and care to recover, integrate into the community and have development opportunities. The rate of children in special circumstances decreased to less than 2% of the total number of children. The whole province has 115,014 children under 6 years old with health insurance cards.

Next, the work of universalizing education and eliminating illiteracy in localities continues to be effective. 100% of districts, towns, cities and 111/111 communes, wards and towns meet national standards for universalizing preschool education for 5-year-old children; 100% of communes, wards and towns meet standards for universalizing primary education at level 3; 111/111 communes, wards and towns maintain universalizing lower secondary education; 15/111 communes, wards and towns meet universalizing upper secondary education.

Thus, the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period is the guideline for provinces and localities to implement solutions to protect, care for, educate and help children access services in the best way, in accordance with the motto of leaving no one behind. In that spirit, the authorities and people of Lang Son, Binh Phuoc and Quang Ninh provinces have promoted plans to ensure basic rights of children such as birth registration, health care, entertainment and learning.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/vi-tuong-lai-phat-trien-toan-dien-cua-tre-em-vung-dan-toc-thieu-so-255151.html