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Minister of Education Nguyen Kim Son Addresses National Assembly on June 20

20/06/2025

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The Minister's statement when asked: "When will school vioelnce no longer exist in educational institutions? How will schools be held accountable for school violence?"

“The day when schools are rid of violence will also be the day in which adults no longer fight.”

The Minister of Education and Training, Nguyen Kim Son, made such a statement when questioned by the National Assembly this morning which not only stirred up laughter but also evoked thought. School violence is an antagonist of society yet still a common occurrence everywhere, in both public and private schools, urban and rural areas.

Most notably, the Minister emphasized that school violence not only exists in physical forms but is becoming more and more complicated in online spaces as well. Figures such as 20-25% of bullying occurring online highlights the severity of the situation. Given the rapid development of social media and the Internet, the protective “walls” that schools once offered students have become fragile. 

In addition, food safety in schools is a topic that the National Assembly Representative paid special attention to after many unfortunate incidents relating to school food. The Minister declared, if we don’t control this problem at its root – that is, the sourcing of food, then inspecting schools is merely addressing it at surface level. Ensuring the safety of food for students demands collaboration at many levels, industries, and especially increased surveillance of the region.

School violence and food safety in schools – two issues that may seem different but are strongly related to one thing: building a safe, healthy and ethical learning environment. 

This is exactly the mission of the Vietnamese Stature Foundation (VSF) ever since its founding. With School health and Child protection as 2 out of 5 of our core program missions, VSF hopes to work hand in hand with families, schools, and the government to create a healthy learning environment, where children are looked after both physically and mentally, for a better future for the children of Vietnam.