Implementing Policies to Ensure the Right to Education Linked to Waterway Safety for Ethnic Minority Children in the Hoa Binh Reservoir Area: Evidence and Policy Implications

Abstract

Abstract: Ensuring the right to education and waterway safety for ethnic minority children in reservoir areas is a crucial requirement for implementing social welfare, educational development, and child protection policies in Vietnam. However, due to unique topographical conditions, many children in the Hoa Binh reservoir area must travel to school by boat, which increases safety risks and impacts the realization of their right to education. Adopting a public policy implementation perspective, this article evaluates the implementation of policies linking the right to education with waterway safety for ethnic minority children in the Hoa Binh reservoir area, utilizing field survey data combined with in-depth interviews with stakeholders. The findings indicate that state policies have contributed to improving children's commuting conditions and raising awareness among families, schools, and the community regarding waterway safety. Nevertheless, policy implementation faces several limitations, such as inconsistent waterway infrastructure, limited investment resources, ineffective inter-agency coordination mechanisms, and a lack of specific policies tailored to the unique conditions of reservoir areas. Based on these findings, the article proposes policy implications to enhance implementation effectiveness by refining inter-agency coordination mechanisms and developing specific policies for areas facing particularly challenging transportation conditions.

Keywords: Policy implementation; right to education; waterway traffic safety; ethnic minority children; Hoa Binh reservoir area.