On January 26, the Department of Education and Training of Dak Lak informed that the unit had issued a document responding to the content published in the press about "Thousands of students have not been paid for meals by the "Nuoi em" project".
According to the Department of Education and Training of Dak Lak province, in previous years, the "Nuoi em" project was directly implemented by volunteer groups to the People's Committees of districts and towns (old) in the province. On that basis, localities directed schools to work directly with volunteer groups without going through the Department.
Stepping into the 2025-2026 school year, educational institutions continue to directly coordinate with volunteer groups to provide lists of students, the number of meals and support funds.
However, from September to December 2025, the volunteer group has not paid for meals according to commitments. As a result, many schools have to buy food on credit to organize boarding meals for students.
Faced with this situation, on December 15, 2025, the Department of Education and Training of Dak Lak issued an official dispatch requesting to review and statistically assess the implementation of the "Nuoi em" project throughout the province.
The results show that in the 2025-2026 school year, the whole province has 1,927 students at 23 schools sponsored by the "Nuoi em" project (16 kindergartens, 4 primary schools and 3 secondary schools).
According to the Department of Education and Training of Dak Lak, the total amount of money that schools have received so far is more than 68 million VND. Meanwhile, the amount of unpaid project funds as of the end of December 2025 is more than 1.08 billion VND. Most schools have not received support funds in September, October, November and December. Only a few schools have been paid a part of the money in September and October.
Faced with the above situation, the Department proposed that the "Nuoi em" project fully pay the remaining amount to educational institutions. At the same time, it requested the People's Committees of relevant communes and wards to pay attention to and support the removal of difficulties for schools that have advanced funds to ensure meals for students in the past time.
Dak Lak Department of Education and Training affirmed that the "Nuoi em" project is an activity with profound humanistic meaning, contributing to the effective implementation of education socialization, especially for students who are ethnic minorities.
The provincial education sector hopes that the project will continue to accompany and support meals for ethnic minority students in the coming time, ensuring their rights and learning conditions.
