Days ago we visited the nursery at the Pyongyang Condiments Factory.

Ri Chun Sim, headmistress of the day care centre, welcomed us and took us to the room for suckling babies, saying that they have just got out of afternoon nap.

In the sunny room some small children were toddling with the help of nurses and others crawling around.

As we were looking affectionately at them, each nice and plump, several young women stepped into the room with a broad smile on their faces.

Every one called the name of her child with open arms. It was an exhilarating moment for the toddlers to get into the embrace of their mothers.

“The nursery is near the workplace, and its conditions and environment are good. It’s very convenient for us working mothers,” said Kim Hyon Hui, an employee at the paste workshop.

“To be frank, I was reluctant at first to leave my child. But she has gained weight and got cheerful since she attended the nursery. My family members and I are all happy with it. The nursery is really her home,” said Ri Hyang Sun from the cooking oil workshop.

We came out of the room leaving behind the mothers all smiles with their babies.

We dropped in at the dining hall.

Every child at table was relishing yogurt and bread supplied as snacks.

As we attentively looked on the children, Ri Chun Sim, pointing at the daily nutritious foodstuff supply norms table for nursery children on the wall, said: “According to the Party’s childcare policy, the nursery is regularly supplied with a range of foodstuffs such as meat, fish, eggs, beans, vegetables, fruits, powdered bones, bread, sweets and cooking oil. These are all provided at state expense.”

She added that the factory pays particular attention to the health of the children and provision of conditions so that women employees could focus on work, free from worries about their children.

We followed the children heading for their room after snack time.

We saw the walls of the corridor and stairway decorated with pictures of fairytale characters to the delight of the children. Each room was equipped with various intelligent toys. There were an education room with an organ and cozy bedrooms lined with bunk beds.

We met and talked with Ko Yong Hye at class No. 3. Ko has been working there as a nurse for 33 years since her maidenhood.

“Nursing is not an easy job,” Ko said. “But I have been able to work on for decades because I found unusual pleasure in seeing the children growing up healthily and intellectually in such a good nursery under the care of the government.”

In the past, she noted, they supposed they did their duty if they nursed children healthily and stoutly, but now they have to pay heed to the children’s intellectual and artistic development as well.

We found that there were a number of children who show a talent for singing, dancing, sight reading, playing of musical instruments, paduk (go) and abacus calculation.

As we came down the stairs to the ground floor, Ri Chun Sim told us that the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un made his way first to the nursery during his visit to the factory in June 12 years before. He said appreciatingly that the nursery was flawless, and hugged children who greeted him and hung onto his sleeves, she added.

Before departure we could feel the children across the country are growing up in good health under the care of the state that fully covers the cost of upbringing of the children at nurseries and kindergartens.

Yon Ok