DECISION

APPROVING SCHEME FOR PROPER NUTRITION ASSURANCE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INCREASE FOR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS WITH THE AIM OF HEALTH IMPROVEMENT AND PREVENTION OF CANCER, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, DIABETES, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE AND BRONCHIAL ASTHMA FOR 2018 - 2025 PERIOD

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Government Organization dated June 19, 2015;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 376/QD-TTg dated March 20, 2015 approving national strategy for preventing and controlling cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchial asthma and other noninfectious diseases for 2015 - 2025 period;

At the request of the Minister of Education and Training,

HEREBY DECIDES:

Article 1. The scheme for proper nutrition assurance and physical activity increase for children and students with the aim of health improvement and prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma for 2018 - 2025 period (hereinafter referred to as “Scheme”), with the following basic content, is approved:

I. VIEWPOINTS

1. Proper nutrition assurance and physical activity increase for children and students play an important role in health, height and physical strength improvement and prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma (hereinafter collectively referred to as “noninfectious diseases”).

2. Proper nutrition assurance and physical activity increase for children and students of educational and training institutions need to be carried out in a regular, continuous and long-term manner and together with relevant schemes, projects and programs.

3. The state shall pay attention to investment and provide mechanisms mobilizing other legal funding sources for proper nutrition assurance and physical activity increase for children and students.

II. OBJECTIVES

1. General objectives

Raise the awareness of proper nutrition and suitable physical activity of education officials, teachers, staff, children, students and student’s parents to prevent noninfectious diseases.

Provide nutrition and increase physical activity as appropriate for children and students.

2. Specific objectives

a) Increase knowledge about and capacity for proper nutrition and physical activity increase of education management officials, teachers, staff, children, students and student’s parents to improve health and prevent noninfectious diseases.

- 100% of school health officials; at least 85% of students, teachers and education management teachers of educational institutions and vocational education institutions; and at least 50% of student’s parents are informed about the benefits of proper nutrition and physical activity to noninfectious disease prevention.

- 100% of students are informed about tobacco harm prevention; at least 80% of high school students and 100% of higher education students are informed about alcohol harm prevention.

- 100% of school health officials participate in training and refresher courses in proper nutrition, rules for serving size determination, physical activity increase and noninfectious disease prevention.

- 100% of staff working in commercial kitchens of educational institutions and vocational education institutions participate in training and refresher courses in proper nutrition and food safety.

b) Increase practices of proper nutrition for children and students

- At least 90% of semi-boarding educational institutions and vocational education institutions provide meals meeting nutrition requirements for their students.

- 100% of preschool institutions and general education institutions monitor and assess the nutritional status of their students according to regulations.

- 100% of commercial kitchens of educational institutions and vocational education institutions meet food safety requirements.

- 100% of cafeterias of educational institutions and vocational education institutions comply with food safety requirements; and do not sell food and beverages not meeting nutrition requirements, having unclear origin or harmful to their students’ health.

c) Increase physical activity for children and students to improve their health and prevent noninfectious diseases

- 100% of educational institutions and vocational education institutions fully comply with regulations on physical activity for children and students by organizing curricular and extracurricular activities, and strive to have every child and student exercise for at least 60 minutes a day on the recommendation of the World Health Organization.

- 100% of educational institutions and vocational education institutions organize communications activities to promote the benefits of increasing physical activity to children and students.

III. MAIN TASKS AND SOLUTIONS

1. Complete mechanisms and policies for school nutrition and physical activity in school.

a) Add and complete regulations on proper nutrition standards, dietary allowance and physical activity for students of each educational stage, ensuring that nutrition and physical activity requirements of each age are satisfied and noninfectious diseases can be prevented.

b) Research and renovate physical education and sports in school, formulate mandatory educational content on diet and physical activity appropriate to students, and mechanisms and policies facilitating application of appropriate diet and physical activity in educational and training institutions.

c) Research and formulate regulations on execution, inspection, supervision and assessment of nutrition operations and physical education in educational and training institutions.

d) Promulgate criteria for assessment of physical education and sports in school.

2. Further educate on nutrition and physical activity in school

a) Educational content

* Proper nutrition, food groups, health food and food safety for each educational stage; standards and quota for proper nutrition and appropriate physical activity.

- Role of physical activity, physical exercises and sports for each educational stage.

- Basic knowledge about noninfectious diseases attributed to diet and physical activity; risk factors for undernutrition, micronutrients deficiency, stunting, overweight, obesity and some noncommunicable chronic diseases for each educational stage, especially risks posed by alcohol and tobacco.

b) Diversify educational methods, build the capacity of regulatory bodies at all levels, teachers, staff, students, student’s parents and school health officials for noninfectious disease prevention

- Organize various extracurricular activities such as outdoor meetings, clubs, competitions, movements, forums, etc.; provide training for teachers and education management officials.

- Create a segment for Scheme promotion and dissemination of knowledge about school nutrition, physical education and noninfectious disease prevention on each school’s website; educate via mass media.

- Educate on appropriate diet and physical activity via panels, posters and leaflets.

- Hold conferences providing training and refresher training in skills for communications, planning, supervision and assessment concerning Scheme activities.

- Organize visits, learning and experience exchange in relation to school nutrition operations and physical education for each educational stage for education management officials, teachers, staff and school health officials.

- Build and adopt healthy diet promotion models across all educational stages: encourage school cafeterias to sell healthy food and raise students' awareness of nutrition.

- Add nutrition and physical education to curricula of relevant subjects and extracurricular activities.

- Organize health checkups and diet and physical strength assessment for children and students on a periodic basis, and raise their parents’ awareness via parent-teacher meetings and school media.

- Hold competitions for balanced meal planning and health food selection; continue to enhance quality of Phu Dong sports competition and sports competitions across all educational stages.

3. Provide more facilities and equipment for nutrition assurance, physical education and sports in school

a) Ensure school lunch facilities and equipment of school commercial kitchens and cafeterias, including food processing and preservation equipment, lunch tables and chairs, and cafeteria equipment.

b) Build and upgrade training grounds, training equipment, multipurpose gyms, swimming pools and sports facilities used for physical activity in school.

c) Cooperate in using local sports facilities for children and student’s physical activity efficiently.

4. Enhance management of school nutrition and physical education in educational institutions

a) Research, supervise and assess actual school nutrition operations and physical education at each stage in localities on a periodic basis, which shall provide the basis for execution solutions suitable for each educational stage and each locality’s capacity.

Focus on launching the School Milk Program and improving performance thereof.

b) Regularly build capacity for school nutrition and physical education in school of education management officials, teachers and staff to improve health and prevent noninfectious diseases.

c) Ministry of Education and Training, Ministry of Labor - War Invalids and Social Affairs and local education and vocational education authorities shall periodically assess assurance of proper diet and physical activity by educational and vocational education institutions under their management intra vires.

5. Mobilize resources for and encourage private sector involvement in assurance of proper nutrition and physical activity for children and students

a) The state shall provide mechanisms and policies encouraging enterprises, organizations and individuals and mobilizing other legal resources to adopt solutions and perform tasks, projects and programs of the Scheme.

b) Promote private sector involvement, encourage relevant regulatory bodies to supervise and assess Scheme activities.

c) Implement the Scheme together with approved programs and schemes that are suitable, ensuring consistency and efficiency in Scheme implementation.

d) Promote international cooperation and utilize assistance from Vietnamese and foreign organizations to acquire experience and transfer technology and equipment for Scheme implementation.

IV. FUNDING

1. The Scheme shall be funded by state budget and other legal funding sources.

2. State budget (central and local government budgets) shall cover expenditure according to regulations of law on public investment and state budget; other legal funding sources shall be mobilized as per the law and through approved programs and projects as prescribed by law.

V. PROJECTS TO BE LAUNCHED

1. Project on raising the awareness of appropriate nutrition and physical activity with the aim of noninfectious disease prevention for students of educational and vocational education institutions.

2. Project on building models of appropriate nutrition and physical activity in educational and vocational education institutions in different regions.

3. Program for guidance on organization and inspection of application of appropriate diet and physical activity in educational and training institutions.

VI. IMPLEMENTATION

1. Ministry of Education and Training shall:

a) Take charge and cooperate with relevant ministries and central authorities and People's Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities in implementing the Scheme according to existing regulations in preschool institutions, general education institutions, higher education institutions, pedagogical colleges and pedagogical postsecondary schools; research and formulate mandatory educational content on diet and physical activity appropriate to students, and mechanisms and policies facilitating application of appropriate diet and physical activity in educational and training institutions.

b) Provide guidelines for implementing the Scheme together with the School Milk Program, general scheme for development of physical education and sports in school for 2016 - 2020 period, with orientations towards 2025,  target programs for healthcare - population, Vietnam Health Program and other relevant programs, schemes, projects and plans.

c) Take charge and cooperate with the Ministry of Labor - War Invalids and Social Affairs and Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in developing and launching the program encouraging and supervising application of appropriate diet and physical activity in educational institutions and vocational education institutions.

d) Cooperate with the Ministry of Health in developing nutrition standards for school meals; and nutrition standards for food and beverages sold in school cafeterias.

dd) Cooperate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in formulating regulations on physical activity time for students of each age and region.

e) Cooperate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and Ministry of Finance in developing mechanisms and policies, managing funding and supervising Scheme implementation.

g) Formulate documents used to educate on proper nutrition and physical education for each educational stage in educational institutions.

h) Inspect, supervise and assess Scheme implementation; submit preliminary and summary reports on such implementation to the Prime Minister.

2. Ministry of Labor - War Invalids and Social Affairs shall:

a) Organize implementation of the Scheme in vocational education institutions.

b) Cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Training and relevant ministries and central authorities in formulating, amending and promulgating necessary mechanisms and policies related to nutrition assurance and physical strength improvement for students of vocational education institutions.

c) Cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Training and Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in developing and launching the program encouraging and supervising application of appropriate diet and physical activity in training institutions.

3. Ministry of Health shall:

a) Formulate technical guidelines and documents on proper nutrition for children and students; documents on diseases; and documents on risk factors, especially tobacco and alcohol.

Continue to implement the School Milk Program and ensure quality of milk used for this program.

b) Take charge of development of nutrition standards for school meals; nutrition standards for food and beverages sold in school cafeterias and regulations on physical activity time for students of each age.

c) Cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Training and relevant ministries and central authorities in implementation of the Scheme.

4. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall:

a) Take charge in developing and promulgating appropriate physical activity quota and standards and technical guidelines on some sports for children and students; formulate instructional documents on physical exercises for children and students.

b) Cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Training in promoting the meaning and effects of physical exercise and organizing sports competitions for students.

c) Cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Training in inspecting and assessing increase of student physical activity.

5. Ministry of Planning and Investment and Ministry of Finance shall:

Take charge and cooperate intra vires with the Ministry of Education and Training, Ministry of Labor - War Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Health and relevant ministries and regulatory bodies in allocating state funding for the Scheme as per the law.

6. Ministry of Information and Communications shall:

Cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Training and relevant ministries and regulatory bodies in

7. Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union shall:

a) Cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Training and Ministry of Labor - War Invalids and Social Affairs in developing and launching the program encouraging and supervising application of appropriate diet and physical activity in educational and training institutions.

b) Cooperate with the education, healthcare, culture - sports and tourism sectors and relevant regulatory bodies in mobilizing resources and private sector involvement for implementation of the Scheme.

8. Central Committee of Vietnam Women's Union shall:

a) Encourage members of Vietnam Women's Union and the community to actively participate in nutrition care activities, especially nutrition care in the first 1.000 days of life.

b) Cooperate with the education sector, healthcare sector and local governments in educating members of Vietnam Women's Union and mothers on proper nutrition and physical activity increase for students, and performing relevant tasks and adopting relevant solutions of the Scheme.

9. People’s Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities shall:

a) Organize Scheme implementation in their provinces/cities and provide relevant regulatory bodies and organizations with direction and guidelines for such implementation. Direct regulatory bodies to launch the School Milk Program in their provinces/cities efficiently.

b) By the end of 2020, finish building at least 01 proper nutrition model in every district.

c) Allocate funding, mobilize resources and promote private sector involvement as appropriate to the capacity of each province/city for Scheme implementation.

d) Monitor, expedite and inspect implementation of the Scheme in their provinces/cities; submit annual reports on such implementation to the Ministry of Education and Training, which will submit a consolidated report to the Prime Minister.

Article 2. This Decision takes effect from the date on which it is signed.

Article 3. Minister of Education and Training, Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of Governmental agencies and Chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities shall implement this Decision./.