(VOVWORLD) - A project called “We are able” was launched in Hanoi on Thursday to improve access and retention of ethnic minority children, especially girls in lower secondary school, and to improve employment opportunities for ethnic minority girls and women.
Together with its strategic partners including the Ministry of Education and Training and the CJ Group from South Korea, UNESCO will carry out a 3-year project benefiting 16,000 people, comprised of ethnic students, teachers, educational staff, and people in Ha Giang, Ninh Thuan, and Soc Trang province.
Michael Croff, UNESCO Representative to Vietnam, said: “First, it’s about looking at the promotion of the community approach to education. We’re going to push those women and girls, to empower them, and work with them to help tell the stories of the importance of education in the community. The second aspect of the project is focusing on safety in schools and specifically the issue of violence and bullying. We’re going to work with the students and teachers to empower them to help create a more tolerant and safe classroom and also do strengthen the teachers’ capacity on gender counseling. Thirdly, we’re going to look at improving employment opportunities for young girls and women by looking at the local contacts, what jobs are, and could be available and providing specific training and assistance to them. So they’ll be able to be economically empowered.”
Mr. Tran Kim Tu of the Ministry and Education and Training said: “The project will open up a new approach and help us strengthen educational management. We see the project as a new educational model and once it is ended, we’ll replicate it in other localities.”