The Central Highlands province of Kon Tum will officially teach the Bahnar and Jrai languages for primary students of these ethnic minority groups from the 2014-2015 school year as part of its effort to preserve their cultural identities. As many as 819 Bahnar students and 255 Jrai ones will learn their mother tongues during this academic year as these languages are added to the curriculum at primary schools in Kon Tum city and Kon Ray and Sa Thay districts. With four lessons a week, native teachers will help them acquire listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. More than 14,000 students from nursery to high school education levels across Kon Tum have entered the new academic year with pleasure as the province recently inaugurated eight more schools, mostly in rural areas, bringing its total school number to 404. For the 2014-2015 school year, the province sets to focus on improving education quality in ethnic minority communities while stepping up the teaching of Vietnamese for ethnic minority students besides their mother tongues. According to the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands, 1.4 million students throughout the region have registered for the new school year, with 461,000 belonging to ethnic minority groups. The Central Highlands comprise the five provinces of Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong and Kon Tum. (vietnamplus.vn Sept 5)
