The Ho Chi Minh City People's Council (HDND) recently approved a resolution to increase monthly financial support for children of factory workers attending private preschools. The resolution, passed on 28/8, raises the monthly support to 240,000 VND per child for a maximum of 9 months per school year, an increase of 80,000 VND.
The policy has also expanded its scope. Previously limited to children in industrial parks and export processing zones, the support now extends to areas with "high concentrations of workers," defined as communes and wards with at least 3,000 registered permanent or temporary residents.
This new city support level surpasses the Ministry of Education and Training's proposed 150,000 VND monthly subsidy for children aged three to five whose parents or legal guardians work in industrial parks, as outlined in their draft decree on universal preschool education.
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Teacher and students at Thanh Binh kindergarten, located in the Thien Phat worker's dormitory, Linh Trung II Export Processing Zone, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Le Tuyet |
Teacher and students at Thanh Binh kindergarten, located in the Thien Phat worker's dormitory, Linh Trung II Export Processing Zone, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Le Tuyet
The resolution also includes funding for private preschools in industrial parks and high-worker-density areas to improve facilities, equipment, and educational toys. Preschools with fewer than 30 children will receive 35 million VND, those with 30 to 49 children will receive 55 million VND, and those with 50 or more children will receive 70 million VND.
Previously, eligibility for support required preschools to have at least 30% of their students be children of factory workers, excluding many independent kindergartens and preschool groups. This requirement has now been removed.
Additionally, the monthly support for teachers in these preschools has increased by 200,000 VND, to one million VND per teacher.
According to the People's Committee (UBND), Ho Chi Minh City, now a special municipality with a large population, has a significant percentage of factory workers in industrial parks and export processing zones. The city currently has over 1,000 independent preschools, serving 92,000 children of factory workers and employing approximately 6,000 teachers. The total estimated budget for this support program is 286 billion VND.
The city also provides support for ethnic minority students pursuing vocational, undergraduate, or postgraduate studies. They receive a monthly stipend of 60% of the base salary (approximately 1.4 million VND) for up to 10 months per academic year. This program supports over 8,000 students with an annual budget of approximately 14.7 billion VND.
Le Tuyet
