Gia Lai (VNA) – Preschool enrolment in theCentral Highlands province of Gia Lai increased from 65 percent in 2012 to 98percent this year thanks to a joint project, said Ambassador of New Zealand toVietnam Wendy Matthews in the provincial capital of Pleiku on June 14.

She made the statement at the closing workshop toconclude the Gia Lai Early Childhood Care and Development project, led by theprovincial Department of Education and Training (DOET) with support from NewZealand and Plan International in Vietnam.

The project is carried out between June, 2012and October, 2018 to improve developmentaloutcomes for ethnic minority children aged 0-8in seven most disadvantaged communes in the province, including To Tung and Kroongof K’Bang district, Tu An of An Khe town, Ya Hoi and Yang Bac of Dak Podistrict, Kong Yang and Nam Yang of Kong Chro district. It has reached 162,000 children and almost 10,000 teachers and stafffrom preschools and elementary schools across Gia Lai.

It has a budget of 9.5 million NZD (6.68 million USD),of which the Government of New Zealand has funded 7.5 million NZD (5.27 millionUSD).

When the project started in 2012, only 10 percent ofinterviewed parents had knowledge and skills about child care in terms ofnutrition, hygiene assurance and more for children aged 0 – 3; now the figure grew to 88percent, Matthews noted.

“Theseare more than just numbers, they are real improvements in the lives ofchildren. This success is thanks to the practical training tools developed byDOET and Plan International for parents and teachers.”

“These tools are now strongly owned by thepeople of Gia Lai and used across the province. I am confident that the Gia Laiauthorities will continue to use these training tools and thereby build abrighter future for the children of the province,” she added.

Huynh Nu Thu Ha, Vice Chairwoman of the provincialPeople’s Committee, thanked the Government of New Zealand and PlanInternational Vietnam for supporting the project.

She also spoke highly of the project’s outcomes,saying it has helped build a child-friendly environment for children and make acloser bond between students and their teachers as teachers have not onlyprovided education for the students but also taken care of them as their ownchildren. At the same time, the relations between parents and teachers havebeen enhanced through the child care and education activities.

She pledged that the province will scale up successfulpre-school models after the project ends.-VNA