For ethnic minority children, the summer break is often spent speaking their native language, which causes them to forget how to communicate in the national language. This leads to limitations in communication and difficulties in acquiring new knowledge.

The program to teach the national language to ethnic minority students before first grade consists of 72 lessons. This is a crucial time for children to adjust to the new learning environment from preschool to primary school, forming basic learning skills and developing their listening, speaking, reading, and writing abilities in Vietnamese. As a result, it helps bridge the language gap and improve the quality of education, especially for the Vietnamese language lessons in the first year of primary school for children from the highlands.

Mrs. Bùi Thị Thuận, Deputy Director of the Na Son Office of Culture and Society, shared: “Na Son has five primary schools, and in the 2025-2026 school year, more than 300 children from ethnic minority communities will transition from preschool to first grade. Currently, teachers and students have already started the national language teaching program. The goal is not only to improve their ability to use and confidently communicate in the school environment but also to help teachers identify the difficulties and limitations of each student and provide timely support.”

Each school has different conditions for enrollment and class schedules. Schools not affected by the rainy season will start teaching as early as the beginning of the month. Those affected by the floods will begin classes in the second week of August.

Mrs. Nguyễn Minh Khánh, Principal of Điện Biên Đông Primary School, said: “In the 2025-2026 school year, our school will receive 56 students for first grade. We began the enrollment process in mid-July. After teachers returned from leave, with no flood-related disruptions and adequate facilities, we started the classes early to ensure that we stay on schedule and meet the needs of the students before the new school year begins.”

Due to the challenging travel conditions in the mountainous areas, classes typically begin from August 11 to 29. Most schools are semi-boarding, so teachers go to each village and home to notify and encourage parents to send their children to school, helping them adjust to the new learning and living environment.

Mrs. Phạm Thị Liềm, Principal of Keo Lôm Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary School (Na Son), shared: “Our school has nearly 500 students, with 81 students in first grade. Over 70% of the students are semi-boarding. Ensuring facilities such as cleaning, repairing equipment, preparing meals, and improving the boarding area are done immediately after the teachers return. For distant areas like Háng Lia, Huổi Hoa, and regions affected by the floods with difficult-to-access roads, we will mobilize all teachers to go to the villages and help transport students to school to ensure education for them.”

It can be seen that the national language teaching program is crucial in preparing ethnic minority children mentally and academically before the new school year. This contributes to improving the quality of education in the highlands and gradually reducing the educational gap between regions.