A combined total of 201 public pre-schools and primary schools, plus relevant agencies across Da Nang have joined in the public-hailed ‘School Milk’ programme since its debut in the city in 2018, Da Nang Department of Education and Training announced at the Wednesday review meeting.

Public preschoolers in Da Nang are eager to drink milk under the ‘School Milk’ programme (Photo courtesy of the Nhan Dan Newspaper)

Da Nang is the first locality in Central Viet Nam, and the city is one of Vietnamese localities to carry out this highly practical national programme at the earliest.

Jointly funded by Viet Nam's national government, parents and well-renown milk supplier Viet Nam Daily Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk), the nationwide project aims to improve the nutritional status of preschoolers and primary pupils through daily milk-feeding, reducing the rate of malnutrition, raising the stature and physical strength of Vietnamese children, and contributing to the development of human resources in the future.

Viet Nam's national government and Vinamilk subsidise a total of 53% of the milk cost, while the family pays the rest. In particular, children from poverty-stricken and ethnic minority families across Viet Nam access the drink for free.

180 millimetres of milk a day, five days a week, is offered to each pupil at pre-schools and primary schools, as recommended by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health.

Vinamilk has conducted examinations of milk storage at schools, providing them with shelves and opening a 24-hour hotline to answer the schools’ inquiries.

Also, children have been educated about the important role of nutrition and physical and intellectual enhancement, forming good habits of drinking milk every day, and raise their awareness of environmental protection by folding the used milk boxes and properly placing them into dustbins.

At the Wednesday review meeting, certificates of merit from the Da Nang People's Committee were awarded to eight organisations and seven individuals for their active engagement in the project over the 2018 – 2020 period. The Da Nang Newspaper was one of these honourees for its good performance in widely publicising the project.

In addition, certificates of merit from the Department of Education and Training went to 47 organisations and 46 individuals in recognition of their dedication and commitment for the project.

By NGOC PHU-Translated by A.T