According to the draft Circular guiding the implementation of a number of contents of the National Target Program on health care, population and development for the period 2026 - 2035 (phase I: 2026 - 2030), the Ministry of Health proposes to organize pre-marital courses for young men and women preparing to get married nationwide.
According to Dr. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh (Society expert, lecturer at the Institute of Journalism and Communication, Academy of Journalism and Propaganda), for pre-marital courses to truly attract young people to participate on a voluntary basis, the design of content and implementation methods need to be carefully considered.
Media puts the interests of the couple first
The goal of improving population quality is legitimate and necessary. But when talking to young people, the most effective message is their direct benefit of preparing for common life, understanding each other better, and reducing the risk of conflict.
If the message leans towards early marriage and childbirth, persuasive effectiveness will decrease and women are often the group that feels that pressure more clearly.
Changing roles of instructors, from reporters to discussion coordinators
The draft assigns the Central Government to train lecturers and provincial-level reporters, and then the province to train commune-level lecturers, this is the decisive stage.
According to Dr. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, the training program should have a section on coordination methods and gender sensitivity, and at the same time mobilize psychological experts, social workers, law, finance and invite couples to share real experiences. Young people receive real stories much easier than available conclusions.
To the right place and at the right time
Do not just wait for young people to come to the commune. Activities should be brought to businesses, industrial parks, and universities. The draft already has an industrial park approach in consulting and health check-ups, which can be completely integrated.
The most favorable time is when carrying out marriage registration procedures, introducing, handing over documents and online content access codes but maintaining the encouragement nature, not turning it into a procedural condition.
Associated with practical benefits
The draft has content to support the pre-marital health consultation and examination service package according to Decision 3472, and has a target of 90% of couples being consulted and examined. These two activities should be connected into a continuous journey for couples, instead of two separations. Young people come because of the value they receive, and then receive the message in that process.
Attracting men right from the design stage
This is a key condition. As mentioned, in the draft, the knowledge about pregnancy and raising young children is identified to be provided to women. Dr. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh proposed expanding the subjects to both husbands, fathers and pair-based organizations.
If the materials and communications default to female students, male students will participate less and the program's goals are difficult to achieve, because the most necessary changes require the participation of both.
In addition, it is necessary to add quality criteria to the monitoring and evaluation framework. If in the future only the number of sessions organized is counted, the grassroots level will tend to make enough reports and that is the shortest path to formality.
