Since it was piloted in the city’s 10 districts by the city’s Department of Education and Training in November 1, 2019, the programme has provided 11 million boxes of milk to the benefit of 130,000 children.
Returning to school after Covid-19 outbreak, students of Trang Tan Khuong Elementary School in Long Thoi Commune, Nha Be District rejoiced at reuniting with their friends and teachers and enjoying the safe source of milk.
During their milk drinking time, the pupils are instructed how to check the expiry date on a milk box and learn to fold the box and place it in the correct place so that it can be easily collected and handled.
A teacher instructs pupils on how to check the expiry date on a milk box
According to Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, Principal of Trang Tan Khuong School, 60% of the school’s students registered to participate in the programme in the first semester of the 2019-2020 academic year.
Under the School Milk programme, each schoolchild receives five 180ml cartons of milk per week.
The cost is borne by the city, enterprises and the parents of the children at a ratio of 30%, 20% and 50%, respectively.
Disadvantaged children will get the milk for free.
Drinking milk will fuel children with great energy in studying and improve their nutritional status, thus contributing to comprehensive development.
Nguyen Van Dong, whose child is a student at Trang Tan Khuong School, said that a majority of parents in Long Thai Commune are guest workers with scant income.
He appreciated that thanks to support of the State and the Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk), his child has received milk to increase height and intellectual perfection. Thus he hoped that the programme will be maintained for as long as possible
Making a toast in kid style
The programme has also drawn much interest from pupils at Cu Chi 2 Town’s kindergarten.
According to Nguyen Thi Hien, the mother of a pupil there, her child loved drinking milk with friends and learning how to folk and make toys from the milk cartons.
Nguyen Quang Thai, Director of Community Activities Development from Vinamilk, stressed the company’s source of raw materials, vitamins and minerals for dairy products for the programme is strictly complied with the standards prescribed in the Ministry of Health’s Circular 31.
After the epidemic, the quality control and storage of milk are more carefully monitored in order to provide safe milk to schools, he added.
Head of the Culture and Society Board under the HCMC People's Council Tang Huu Phong said that the School Milk programme has received great appreciation from society, adding that many schools want to expand the implementation of the programme to a five-year period.
Vinamilk’s dairy products for the School Milk programme strictly comply with the standards prescribed in the Ministry of Health’s Circular 31.
