Members of the National Assembly’s Ethnic Committee gathered on Thursday to discuss progress and problems in developing the country’s regions, which are home to its numerous ethnic groups. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Members of the National Assembly’s Ethnic Committee gathered on Thursday to discuss progress and problems in developing the country’s regions, which are home to its numerous ethnic groups.

Chairman of the NA’s Ethnic Committee Hà Ngọc Chiến said last year, the Government, as well as the whole country’s political apparatus, continued to support the development of remote regions.

Projects started to build roads, bridges, schools and hospitals to provide ethnic groups with modern amenities and help connect them with the rest of the country.

He said there have been positive signs in such regions with increased commercial projects and young people enrolling in training programmes to meet with requirements for job opportunities in their hometowns.

Notably, the number of children age five and over attending school has risen, which is a welcome change to regions where the drop-out rate was extremely high in the past. Children from ethnic groups are not only attending primary schools they also continue to go to higher grade schools, said Vice Chairman of the NA’s Ethnic Committee Giàng A Chu.

The committee’s proposal for 2018 is to carry out some 15 programmes aiming to provide funding and technology transfer.

Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Tòng Thị Phóng stressed the importance of such programmes, saying it remains one of the country’s strategic interests to help develop those regions.

Members, however, pointed out various problems that must be addressed such as the large gap between ethnic groups and the rest of the population. The country’s 53 ethnic groups makes up just 14.2 per cent of the total population but counts for more than half of its poor households, according to an NA report.

The fight against poverty must focus on sustainability, NA deputies said. On that particular topic, members said there have been hydro power and other development projects that require the resettlement of ethnic communities. Those communities are in need of land to cultivate and continue their agricultural production.

In light of a recent proposal to form special economic zones, some of them are in regions with a large number of ethnic communities the committee urged lawmakers and the Government to ensure the country’s numerous ethnic groups’ socio-economic securities are a part of the development plans. — VNS