Three preschool children in Ha Nam province received serious burns during a life skill lesson, raising concerns among parents about the safety of life skill teaching programs applied at schools.

Le Quynh Hoa, a parent in Hanoi, said she hurried to send her daughter to a life skill class which lasted one month in summer after she heard about the increased number of child abuse cases. However, she has rethought her decision.

“I really want my daughter to attend life skill classes. But I am not sure if the classes are good and the curriculum used is safe enough,” she explained.

Three preschool children in Ha Nam province received serious burns during a life skill lesson, raising concerns among parents about the safety of life skill teaching programs applied at schools.

Phi Mai Thanh, a mother of a seven-year-old daughter, said she cannot make a decision about whether to send her daughter to a summer camp.

“The summer camp organizers reassured me that the students attending the camp would be taught life skills and participate in many useful activities,” she said.

“I agree with the viewp' that children need to spend time to play rather than sit at home and look at mobile phone screend. But the organizers could not persuade me that the summer camp could be organized in a safe way,” Thanh said.

Nguyen Thi My Ha in HCMC said she is worried every time her son attends outdoor activities organized by his preschool.

“Two or three have to take care of 30 students. Small children may be lost on the way, or they may incur injuries,” she said. “The children are too small and they don’t have necessary skills to cope with difficulties. ”

The problem is that no agency certifies life skill teaching programs.

There are many choices for urban parents to send their children in summer, from military camp, to meditation training courses to international summer camps. The tuition of the training courses is high, between several and tens of millions of dong. Meanwhile, no one can say if the programs are inspected by appropriate agencies and certified as suitable for students.

The Ministry of Education and Training released an education plan on integrating the teaching of life skills, commencing from preschool. The program was examined and approved by experts. However, it’s unclear if teachers can be trained to teach the skills.

Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, a member of the new general education program compilation committee, commented that the life skill teaching programs are not controlled strictly and many of the programs are self designed.

She said life skill education needs to be suitable for different ages. Preschool children, for example, need to learn the skills to avoid getting lost. Meanwhile, lessons related to firefighting prevention and first aid should be provided in cooperation with professional units.

 Mai Lan

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