Speaking at a meeting held with education officials from Hanoi, HCM City, Can Tho, Hai Phong and Da Nang in HCM City on March 31 to review the first term of the 2009-2010 school year, he said primary schools should not hold tests for kids set to go to first grade.

He urged them to improve toilets and water supply systems at schools this year.

Do The Hung, head of the board that oversees the education departments in the five cities, said more than 3,000 standard toilets were built during the first term and water supply systems were built in 3,052 schools.

Nhan ordered the departments to create standards for “student-friendly” schools from the kindergarten to secondary levels.

More than 6,000 schools in the five cities are recognized as “student-friendly,” Hung said.

Nhan also ordered them to provide Internet connections to all schools and organise traditional cultural competitions.

The ministry was drawing up regulations for the management of international schools to provide the departments a legal basis for overseeing them, he said.

He appreciated the departments’ efforts to improve the quality of school education and working conditions for school managers and teachers and develop infrastructure.

The department reported that they adopted measures like disseminating information against dropping out of school and introducing policies to help disadvantaged students to reduce the dropout rate.