Ensuring preschool education for children of female workers in industrial parks and export processing zones

One of the most pressing and important issues for female workers is ensuring childcare, especially for preschool-aged children. When female workers have to work far from their families or have no relatives to care for them, the safety andeducation of young children becomes a major challenge.

The number of preschool facilities does not meet actual needs.

In the context of integration and development, industrial parks and export processing zones are becoming the center of the economy with the workforce being mainly workers, of which women account for a high proportion. Immigrant worker families mainly live in boarding houses, lacking kindergartens and classrooms near their places of residence and work. Low income, immigrant parents make it difficult to choose schools for their children.

According to the report of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VGCL), the results of implementing the support policy on nurseries and kindergartens for children of workers according to the provisions of Decree 105/2020/ND-CP, currently 50 provinces and cities have issued Resolutions of the People's Council detailing the subsidy levels for children of workers. Most provinces implement the minimum level prescribed in the Decree of 160,000 VND/child/month. Provinces with higher support levels are: Binh Dinh (300,000 VND/child/month); Hanoi , Quang Ninh, Ba Ria Vung Tau (240,000 VND/child/month); Vinh Phuc (220,000 VND/child/month); Hai Phong, Da Nang (200,000 VND/child/month).

Preschool facilities continue to receive annual investment from authorities at all levels and localities. The socialization of preschool education is of particular interest to provinces and cities with many industrial parks, export processing zones, and economic zones, creating favorable conditions for organizations, individuals, and businesses to participate in investing in the development of preschool education.

However, in reality, the current number of preschools, kindergartens, and childcare facilities in the provinces cannot meet the needs of workers with children of childcare age due to the rapidly increasing number of children. Meanwhile, a large number of female workers have low incomes and cannot afford high-quality private childcare services.

May 10 Kindergarten is one of the few schools that is built spaciously and invested in many modern equipment right on the Corporation's campus, supporting workers and laborers to work with peace of mind.

As one of the enterprises with a kindergarten to take care of workers' children, Ms. Vu Thi Loan - Vice Principal of May 10 Kindergarten (under May 10 Corporation - JSC) - said: The school is located within the Corporation's premises, so it is convenient for parents to pick up and drop off their children, and to work with peace of mind. The school accepts children from 6 months old (after the mother's maternity leave ends), teaches children 6 days/week, picks up children before 7am and drops them off after 6pm, and offers classes on Saturdays and summer without collecting additional tuition from parents. In addition, children of May 10's staff and workers are supported with 30% of tuition fees for each child/month.

Despite many efforts in the operation of this special kindergarten, May 10 Kindergarten still faces many difficulties such as: Difficulty in synchronous investment in school facilities; children are mostly children of officials and employees of the Corporation, parents from far away provinces have to rent houses, facing many difficulties in daily life; recruiting teachers and staff is still difficult due to concerns about stability when working in a private environment...

Similarly, Binh Duong province has had policies to attract investment in building preschool facilities, especially preschools in industrial parks, such as: Supporting teaching materials and equipment for independent and private preschools in areas with industrial parks and industrial clusters; subsidies for preschool children who are children of workers and laborers working in industrial parks and industrial clusters; support policies for preschool teachers working in private and private preschools in areas with industrial parks and industrial clusters. However, the development of preschools in industrial parks still faces many difficulties in terms of construction conditions, conversion of land use purposes, lack of teachers meeting regulations, etc.

There needs to be a drastic policy to prioritize investment in preschool education in industrial parks and export processing zones.

According to Ms. Do Hong Van - Head of the Women's Committee, Vietnam General Confederation of Labor , in recent times, Trade Unions at all levels have actively researched, consulted on the development, inspection and supervision of legal policies on female labor such as: Piloting the construction of kindergartens for children of workers and laborers; participating in policies on labor, social insurance, maternity; nursery and kindergarten issues; participating in dialogue and negotiation to include in the Collective Labor Agreement many policies that are more beneficial to female workers, including negotiating childcare support for children of workers; implementing a model of gathering female workers in boarding houses in industrial parks and export processing zones.

Activities to improve the care, education and learning conditions of children of workers, civil servants and laborers continue to be implemented, especially the propaganda of policies on nurseries and kindergartens for children of workers in industrial parks has had positive changes. In 2024, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor assigned the Women's Union of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor to study and issue the Project "Supporting workers in industrial parks and export processing zones in child care and education for the period 2023 - 2028" with the goal of doing as much as possible to support workers in industrial parks and export processing zones in taking care of and raising their children, limiting the situation of children having to be sent back to their hometowns and not being able to live near their parents.

Thuan Giao Kindergarten (Thuan An City, Binh Duong) is a private school with many students who are children of workers and laborers in the area.

According to Ms. Do Thi Hong Van, in recent years, at the annual regular meetings with the Prime Minister, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has proposed policies on kindergartens for workers' children, which have received attention, strong direction and concrete policies that are increasingly practical for workers. These efforts demonstrate the role of the Trade Union in caring for and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of workers and civil servants, strengthening close coordination between the Trade Union and the Government and agencies and organizations in the political system, creating a combined strength in the work of caring for, educating and protecting children in general and children of union members and workers in particular.

In order for preschool education in industrial parks and export processing zones to meet actual needs, contribute to reducing difficulties for workers and laborers, and improve the quality of education, many specific solutions are required from all levels and sectors.

Accordingly, the State needs to pay more attention and support enterprises with a majority of female workers. Currently, there are very few kindergartens belonging to enterprises, so there should be appropriate policies and regimes for teachers and staff, as well as preferential regimes for enterprises, supporting children whose parents work in enterprises with a majority of female workers; adding preferential policies on salary and allowances for cadres, teachers and staff working at enterprise kindergartens so that they can work with peace of mind...

In particular, it is necessary to strengthen the implementation of social responsibility of enterprises building kindergartens operating in the form of non-profit; deploy and replicate quality and effective preschool education models in industrial parks according to the provisions of law.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/dam-bao-giao-duc-mam-non-cho-con-cua-nu-cong-nhan-cac-khu-cong-nghiep-khu-che-xuat-20241128165513819.htm