School milk - Quang Ninh's new humane policy for future generations

With 100% of delegates in favor, at the 33rd Session on November 14, the Provincial People's Council passed a Resolution on the policy of supporting school milk for preschool and primary school students at educational institutions in the area from the 2025-2026 to 2030-2031 school years. This policy of profound humanistic significance demonstrates the province's concern for future generations, contributing to improving physical strength, improving nutrition and creating a health foundation for children in all regions, especially in mountainous, border, island and ethnic minority areas.

Provincial People's Council delegates voted to pass the resolution.

In practice, malnutrition among children in Quang Ninh still tends to increase with age. In preschools , the rate of underweight children (3 months to under 36 months) is 1.48%, and stunted children is 2.11%; in preschool children (3-5 years old), these rates increased to 1.73% and 1.86%, respectively.

The Department of Health 's report also shows that malnutrition among children under 5 years old still exists, with 4.74% of children underweight, 5.71% stunted and 1.97% wasted; for children under 2 years old, the rates are 3.15%, 3.76% and 1.49% respectively. This clearly reflects the urgent need for effective nutritional intervention solutions to improve children's health and fitness from the very beginning.

Based on that reality, at the 33rd Session, the Provincial People's Council thoroughly discussed and unanimously approved the Resolution regulating the policy of supporting school milk for preschool children and primary school students studying at educational institutions in Quang Ninh province from the 2025-2026 school year to the 2030-2031 school year. This is considered an important and timely solution to help overcome malnutrition and create a solid foundation for the comprehensive development of children in Quang Ninh.

Extracurricular class of preschool students at Duc Tri Kindergarten.

According to the resolution, the beneficiaries are all preschool children and primary school students studying at educational institutions in the province, with the consent of their parents or guardians. They will be able to drink milk during their actual study days at the educational institution, with specific standards: Nursery children are supported with 110ml/day; preschool children and primary school students are supported with 180ml/day. The number of days of support each year is based on the number of direct study days, but not exceeding 175 days/school year. The total cost of purchasing milk is 100% guaranteed by the provincial budget. From the 2025-2026 to 2030-2031 school year, the total resources to implement the policy are expected to be about 1,725 ​​billion VND; on average, about 207,000 children and students will benefit each year, with a budget of about 287.5 billion VND/school year. This is a major investment, demonstrating the province's determination to care for nutrition and improve the physical health of future generations.

Provincial People's Council delegate Vu Thi Dieu Linh, Head of the Provincial People's Council's Culture and Social Affairs Committee, said: The Resolution on the school milk support policy was passed with the absolute consensus of the delegates, affirming the urgency and profound significance of this policy. During the review process, the Committee proactively reviewed and adjusted the scope and beneficiaries to ensure conformity with the socio-economic conditions and the province's budget balance capacity. The issuance of the Resolution not only creates an important legal basis for Quang Ninh to effectively implement the major orientations of the Politburo on human development, but also clearly demonstrates the province's responsibility and care for children, contributing practically to improving the physical strength, stature and health of students, in line with the comprehensive human development strategy that Quang Ninh is persistently implementing.

At Duc Tri Kindergarten, currently operating 3 facilities in Ha Long ward and Cao Xanh ward, each facility maintains an average size of about 70 children with 5 classes. This scale is considered appropriate for the school to ensure quality care for students, while creating a safe and close learning environment for each child. The province's issuance and implementation of the school milk support policy has become a great source of encouragement for both schools and parents, contributing to enhancing nutrition and better supporting the development process of children.

Ms. Dang Hai Yen, General Manager of Duc Tri Kindergarten System, said: The school's nutritional regime is always built according to scientific standards, suitable for each age group from 6-12 months, 1-3 years old to 3-6 years old. Therefore, the province's issuance of a policy to support school milk is a great source of encouragement for schools and parents. As soon as the resolution takes effect, Duc Tri will deploy it synchronously to all students and clearly inform parents to ensure that children receive full benefits, no case is missed. Supplementing milk daily will contribute to improving nutrition, promoting height development and resistance for students, creating peace of mind for parents.

Drawing class of students at Tran Hung Dao Primary School.

Not only nursery and preschool children, primary school students are also beneficiaries of the policy, helping to supplement quality nutrition, improve physical condition and limit malnutrition, underweight or stunting. The coordination between the province's support policy, the accompaniment of parents and the dedication of the teaching staff continues to create a quality educational environment, where each child can develop comprehensively, safely and happily every day.

Ms. Dang Thi Hue, a parent of a student at Tran Quoc Toan Primary School, shared: As a parent, I am very worried because primary school children are at the age of growing up and studying all day at school. Therefore, I often have to prepare extra milk and food so that my children have enough nutrition outside of school hours. Now that I have received information that the province is interested in supporting school milk for preschool and primary school children of the same age as my child, I really feel more secure. This is a very meaningful and practical policy, helping children to have adequate nutrition and have enough health to study.

Putting the resolution into practice early will help children in nurseries, preschools and primary schools quickly benefit from improved nutrition and physical strength; at the same time, it will create a solid foundation for comprehensive development, contributing to realizing the goal of caring for and educating future generations in a practical and sustainable way.

Truc Linh

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/nghi-quyet-ve-ho-tro-sua-hoc-duong-nang-cao-the-chat-tam-voc-va-suc-khoe-hoc-sinh-3384549.html