The Deputy Minister of Education & Training Tran Quang Quy has requested that local departments of education & training identify disadvantaged pupils and provide them with urgent assistance.

Pupils at Khao Mang Primary School, Khao Mang Commune, Mu Cang Chai District, Yen Bai Province cooked lunch by themselves. (Photo by Viet Hung)

As part of the request, local departments of education & training need to coordinate closely with organisations, individuals and other local authorities to help poorer pupils access enough food, clothing and studying tools before and after Tet so that they do not stop their schooling because of a lack of food, clothing, or books.

The ministry also requires a written report that will provide details about the implementation and results before March 10, 2010.

62 students at Dong Son School have been suffering from hunger and malnutrition for over a month due to failure of crops. After Dan Tri/DTiNews broke the story, many donations started flooding in.

After hearing about the story, Deputy Minister of Education & Training Nguyen Thi Nghia visited Dong Son School to witness firsthand the difficulties of the poor pupils here. The Ministry, in collaboration with the Trade Union and local bodies, will help poor pupils to have enough food, Nghia said.