Accordingly, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) called for schools to work with social insurance agencies at all levels to disseminate information about health insurance and encourage more pupils and students to join the health insurance system, targeting that 100 per cent of schoolgoers participate in the health insurance system, and to make sure that pupils and students receive first aid if needed.

Specifically, regarding the physical education and healthcare activities in schools, MOET requested schools to effectively carry out physical education activities. Time for physical activities must be reasonable and scientific, which helps improve the quality of physical education. Furthermore, it is necessary to renew training methods and forms as well as evaluation to help students be actively engaged and interested in the activities; and to socialise physical education to mobilise the participation of organisations, individuals, programmes, and projects to accelerate the development of physical and sports activities in schools.

Sports activities should be incorporated in physical education, to diversify movement forms to enable pupils and students to actively join activities to strengthen their health and physical development; to maintain regular morning exercises, and during break time; and to learn about self-defence and safety skills.

Additionally, it is important to establish and improve the operation of sports clubs in education institutions; and organise sports competitions in school, among schools, and so on and establish sports teams to join competitions and events at various levels in the country, region, continent and world.

Illustrative Photo (Source: Internet)

Schools should review and effectively utilise facilities designed for physical education and sports activities; and make plans to work with local Departments of Culture and Sports to help students get access to local sports complexes for their training, practice and competitions.  

Also, the local Departments of Education and Training should continue guiding the implementation of the sector’s master plan on safe and quality education and training whilst adapting to COVID-19.

Schools must closely follow regulations of competent authorities and guidelines of the health sector on COVID-19 prevention to build plans to ensure safety and health for pupils, students, teaching staff and non-teaching staff and to be well prepared to cope with the negative impacts of the pandemic on the sector. Schools should increase information dissemination to closely work with the health sector to fulfil vaccination targets for children, pupils and students.

Additionally, children, pupils and students should be provided with knowledge and skills to protect themselves from, and help fight COVID-19 as well as other diseases such as dengue, hand-foot-mouth disease, measles, Rubella, Influenza A, monkeypox, and other non-communicable diseases.

Illustrative Photo (Source: Internet)

Furthermore, it is necessary to intensify and improve the qualification of healthcare staff in schools.

Departments of Education and Training should work with local Departments of Health to develop plans to further provide professional training for healthcare staff in schools in line with the training programme jointly issued by the Ministry of Education and Training and Ministry of Health. It is essential to continue organising regular training courses on school-based healthcare and prevention of diseases and non-communicable diseases for management staff, teaching staff and healthcare staff.

Of note, Departments of Education and Training, Divisions of Education and Training should work with social insurance agencies at all levels to strengthen the dissemination of and guidance on health insurance for pupils/students, ensuring that pupils and students have the right to first aid in schools, targeting that 100 per cent of pupils and students join the health insurance system.

The Ministry of Education and Training requested schools to keep a green, clean, beautiful and safe environment. Schools should provide sufficient safe water and improve hygiene work; and build and guide the proper use and protection of water supply and hygiene works in schools.

It is important to further reinforce school-based professional training on the prevention of unintentional accidents, injuries and drowning in children/pupils for teaching staff, non-teaching staff and health staff; provide swim coaching programmes and certify physical education teachers (if qualified) in educational institutions; and strengthen the inter-sectoral cooperation in monitoring and control of unintentional injuries, accidents and drowning in children and pupils./.