Skills education for ethnic minority students

As a mountainous border province with more than 30 ethnic groups, of which over 66% are ethnic minorities, Lao Cai always identifies skills education and improving social understanding for students as an important task. In recent years, the Department of Education and Training has coordinated with the Ministry of Education and Training and UNICEF in Vietnam to implement many exchange, experience and creative learning activities for ethnic minority students, such as gender equality, children's rights, environmental protection, disaster prevention, etc.

The extracurricular training session on smart schools adapting to climate change at Phuc Khanh Primary and Secondary School No. 1 (Phuc Khanh Commune) took place in a lively atmosphere. Students enthusiastically participated in group activities such as drawing, storytelling, and quizzing. Each group had a different way of expressing themselves, but all revolved around the topic of learning about climate change, types of extreme weather that often occur in the mountainous areas where they live, signs of recognition and skills to prevent natural disasters.

Hoang Anh Quan, a 9th grade student, happily shared with his friends that he had just asked and answered related questions: I found the program very fun and useful. In the area where I live, extreme weather events often occur, such as prolonged heavy rains, subsidence, and landslides, so the skills of recognition and prevention are very important to us. The extracurricular program has helped us develop those skills.

The extracurricular activities at Phuc Khanh Primary and Secondary School No. 1 are one of the sub-items of the “Smart School, Adapting to Climate Change” model implemented within the framework of the “Emergency Support Plan to Overcome Damage and Recovery After Storm No. 3 in Lao Cai Province” supported by UNICEF. The program was held at Phuc Khanh Primary and Secondary School No. 1 - where many students come from Lang Nu (the area that just suffered a natural disaster in September 2024) - so it became even more meaningful and practical.

Ms. Hoang Thi Mai Hoa - Vice Principal of Phuc Khanh Primary and Secondary School No. 1 said: "In 2024, many natural disasters occurred in Phuc Khanh commune. Students and teachers witnessed and were affected by that disaster for the first time, so participating in extracurricular activities on environmental issues is really useful. Students will have a lot of useful knowledge to share with friends as well as the community about skills to respond to natural disasters and adapt to climate change."

Not only targeting students directly, the Department of Education and Training and UNICEF in Vietnam also focus on improving knowledge and skills for teachers through training courses, group discussions and expert consultations. Training content includes skills to handle unusual weather situations; psychological and spiritual support for students and teachers after natural disasters, and methods to build safe schools. From each program, teachers will become the core in the locality in spreading knowledge and improving the ability to respond to climate change to colleagues and students.

Ms. Trieu Thi Hoa Dao - Vice Principal of Pa Cheo Primary School for Ethnic Minorities (Ban Xeo Commune) shared: "We have redesigned the training program to deploy to all teachers of the schools. From there, teachers continue to build lessons, counseling and consultation programs to support students, parents and the community where they are working."

Along with training programs, to improve understanding and skills education for ethnic minority students, the Provincial Department of Education and Training has coordinated with the Ministry of Education and Training and UNICEF in Vietnam to implement many exchange, experience and creative learning activities for ethnic minority students, focusing on gender equality, children's rights, environmental protection and disaster prevention.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Tuong Duy Hai (Hanoi National University of Education) - a psychology expert chosen by UNICEF in Vietnam as a lecturer for the program, shared: “This is a very effective activity. After experiencing the impact of storms, teachers and students are exposed to both theoretical foundations and prevention methods. In particular, based on school criteria, teachers clearly see the shortcomings to supplement, in order to minimize damage”.

Ms. Tran Phuong Anh - Deputy Head of the General Department, Department of Education and Training of the province said: The contents on gender equality, children's rights, environmental protection and natural disaster prevention for ethnic minority students are coordinated by the Department of Education and Training of Lao Cai with organizations with many rich and attractive activities. Not only simple questions and answers, the students also participate in making skits and playing characters. The form of dramatization helps them deepen their knowledge as well as be confident, proactive in learning about the problem, adding skills and self-confidence.

In the 2025-2026 school year, Lao Cai province has 175 ethnic minority boarding schools, 147 schools with boarding students with more than 60,000 students. This is the main target of the program. In complex terrain conditions, erratic weather, many schools in difficult areas are often heavily affected by natural disasters. Support activities of the education sector and UNICEF have made an important contribution to helping ethnic minority students improve their life skills and risk response skills; at the same time, helping teachers and local communities consolidate knowledge, building a safe and sustainable school environment.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/giao-duc-ky-nang-cho-hoc-sinh-dan-toc-thieu-so-post887525.html