National programme focuses on early childhood development
Ensuring comprehensive development for children in early years at home and in the community is the goal of a national programme introduced at a consultative workshop in Hanoi on September 8.
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“Early childhood development plays an important role and lays the foundation for physical, intellectual, emotional and aesthetic development of children,” Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep said.
He reiterated the Vietnamese Government’s commitments to implementing ratified international conventions and sparing no efforts to fully ensure child rights.
“The Government of Vietnam has made the right decision to commit to develop a nationwide policy for Early Childhood Development bringing together different line agencies that play a critical role in the life of a child,” said UNICEF Representative in Vietnam Youssouf Abdel-Jelil.
The National Programme on Care for Comprehensive Development of Children in Early Years at Home and in the Community for the period of 2017-2025 is carried out in two phrases from 2018 to 2020 and from 2021 to 2025 concentrating on localities with economic difficulties.
In Vietnam, close to 25 percent of children under five years of age suffer from stunting. Approximately 77 percent of preschool age children (aged 3-5) and 13 percent of kindergarten children (aged under 3) do not attend any formal pre-learning programme.
Every year, about 2,000 children experience violence and abuse and 170,000 children are without parental care.
The building of the national early childhood development programme aims to realise the Child Law 2016 to contribute to the implementation of sustainable development goal in Vietnam.
