Reviewing a community-based project to promote early childhood education for poor children in rural areas funded by UNESCO, Chu Shiu Kee noted that Vietnam has built a widespread network of schools and established close cooperation between kindergartens, relevant agencies and donors.

Since 1999, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has been assisting Vietnam in making and implementing policies in the field. The UNESCO-funded project has been successful in attracting the active participation of local people, authorities of all levels and organisations in pre-school education development.

The US$176,000 project has been carried out since January 2005 at eight communes in central Nghe An, Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh provinces. After one year, the rate of children attending kindergartens has achieved 80-85 percent.

The project has helped build and upgrade eight kindergartens in the targeted areas, improving local children's access to pre-school education. Training courses on childcare were also held for parents.