The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and U.S. relief and development organization World Vision International are carrying out a program that places mothers in the role of teaching assistants to help local educators teach children from ethnic groups in preschools.

These mothers are required to be able to speak both Vietnamese and local ethnic minority languages, love children, and commit to serving the community where they live. 

They will perform translations in classes where ethnic minority children are unable to understand Vietnamese and teachers cannot speak ethnic minority languages.

A portrait taken by French photographer Rehahn C features a child from the Hmong ethnic minority group in the northern Vietnamese province of Yen Bai. (By courtesy of Rehahn C)

Besides helping children from ethnic minority groups connect with their teachers through language, these teaching assistants will also play the role of a bridge to help teachers and students understand their cultures.

World Vision International has cooperated with the preschool arm of the ministry to prepare training documents for the program.

Each assistant will receive VND1.5 million (US$54.13) in payment per month.

The program is meant to help the education ministry in its drive to send ethnic children in remote and poor regions to school.

World Vision International is a non-profit corporation under the laws of the state of California.

The Vietnamese government now recognizes 54 ethnic minorities, with Kinh being the largest group.

(Source: Tuoi Tre News)