As the new academic year approaches, school dormitories are of paramount importance for children who came from herder families to study. Last year, 36,029 students lived in 512 secondary school dormitories, of which 78 percent were children from herder families. These dormitories were staffed by 673 teachers and 3,475 employees. In the provinces, approximately 27 percent of schools have dormitories, while in the capital city, only 5.9 percent of schools have such facilities. However, all schools in rural soums and bags (the smallest administrative division) are equipped with dormitories.

For students entering higher educational institutions, the availability of dormitories is also a critical issue. Last year, 6,701 students resided in 84 university dormitories, although these dormitories have a total capacity for 17,399 students. In addition, 4,030 students were accommodated in 45 dormitories of vocational and technical education institutions.

Unfortunately, there have been numerous incidents where the conditions in dormitories were not safe, violating children’s right to live in a safe and healthy environment. Relevant authorities have stated that they are working on ensuring the safety and creating a healthy environment in these dormitories. Specific efforts include addressing the social issues of dormitory staff, improving the conditions within the dormitories, and enhancing collaborative efforts. These measures are expected to increase the number of students living in university dormitories.

To improve the knowledge and skills of dormitory staff, both in-person and online training sessions are being organized. Moreover, it’s worth noting that nine new dormitories will be opened this academic year. Among these, the 100-bed dormitory of School No. 2 in Kharkhorin soum of Uvurkhangai Province, has already been put into operation. Furthermore, 29 dormitories have been supplied with 89 million MNT worth of equipment.