Nearly 57 per cent of nursery schools in Việt Nam have met the national standards. — VNA/VNS Photo Nam Sương

HÀ NỘI — The five-year effort for quality improvement has resulted in 15,334 nursery schools reaching national standards in Việt Nam, up 11.3 per cent compared to the academic year of 2017-18. 

The locality with the highest growth in up-to-standard nursery schools over the five years is the northern delta province of Ninh Bình (16.7 per cent), followed by Hà Nam with 15.4 per cent, and Bắc Giang with 15.2 per cent.

It is worth noting that the capital city of Hà Nội currently has 1,147 State nursery schools and 2,461 private preschool facilities, with over 510,000 children under their care. About 78.8 per cent of the schools and facilities have met the national standards, higher than the national rate of 57 per cent.

An official from the Early Childhood Education Department under the Ministry of Education and Training cited some difficult-to-implement legal documents in the sector as an obstacle to the schools trying to make the grade.

Another obstacle lies in local education budgets. In some localities, the education budgets are so tight that little can be spent on nursery schools. Without sufficient funds to improve facilities and finance campus expansion, the nursery schools remain below the mark.

The official urged local authorities to take action to develop more up-to-the-mark nursery schools in their municipalities and use communication to raise public awareness about the significant impact of early childhood education. — VNS