Background:
Vietnam is a rapidly emerging economic powerhouse in Asia Pacific,
boasting of explosive double digit growth. Although still a poor
country with low per capita income and years in war, Vietnam has
unceasingly recorded its great achievements in education.
The literacy rate in Vietnam was high (92% of the population). 8%
was illiteracy, among them 80% living in remote areas and 60%
female.
Besides having trained qualified and skilled workers, the Vietnamese
education also has produced world-wide well-known scientists such as
Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Mr. Tran Dai Nghia, Mr. Ton That Tung etc...
The communist party and Vietnamese government always attaches great
attention to education. In the resolution of the Second session of
Central Committee of VIIIth Congress, the Communist Party of Vietnam
regarded education and development of science and technics and
technology as an important strategy of the country.
Despite of these archievements, the Vietnamese Education System is
still facing many difficulties. Many schools and equipped teaching
materials not timely updated, teachers have not been qualified as
required, and millions of children are still out of school. What
must give special attention to, is the education and training
policy.
State budget assigned for education was considerably increased in
the last 2 years, taking about 10% of the total, in which 70% - 80%
were used for paying salary to teachers. Budget share for education
is projected to reach 15% by the year 2000.
The private sector took bout 40% of total direct expenses, of which
the larget part was spent for the kindergarten and education basis
(about 60%). The basic expenditure for primary schools took about
50%, specialised secondary school about 19% and professional and
vocational about 12% of the total expenses.
The chart of education and certificate
system:
1. The chart of education system:
2. National Diplomas and Certificates System:
|
Level of education |
Length of education |
Entrance age |
Entrance qualification |
Qualification
for graduate |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
I. Kindergarten:
|
3 years
3 years |
3-4th month
3rd year |
|
|
|
II. General:
- Specialised secondary
|
5 years
4 years
3 years |
6th year
11th year
15th year |
-
Primary Degree
-
Secondary Degree
-
Secondary degree
|
-
Primary Degree
-
Secondary Degree
-
Diploma
|
III. Vocational:
-
Vocational training after primary education.
-
Vocational training after secondary education.
|
Under 1 year
1 - 2 years
3 -4 years
3 - 4 years |
13th - 14th year
15th year
15th year
15th year
|
-
Secondary Degree
-
Secondary Degree
|
-
Professional secondary degree
-
Vocational secondary Degree
|
|
IV. Graduate:
|
3 years
4 - 6 years
2 years
4 years
2 years |
18th year
18th year
|
-
Secondary Degree or Secondary Certificate
-
University Degree
-
University Degree or Post Graduate Degree
|
-
College Degree
-
University Degree
-
Post Graduate Degree
-
Doctor Degree
|
The Education and training development
policy
-
The Education policy:
The National Assembly has passed the Law on Primary Education
Proliferation since 12 August 1991.
The 2th session of VIIIth Congress of the Central Executive
Committee of the Communist Party held in December, 1996 issued
resolution on "Orientation and tasks for Education Development
strategy in the Industrialization and Modernization process toward
the year 2000".
The Education Law adopted by the National Assembly in April 1997
carrying the following major contents:
To restructure the National Education System
and the National Certificates System. To consolidate public schools,
encourage setting up new semi-public, private schools; allow to open
private kindergartens, professional secondary schools and
universities as well. To diversify forms of education like
full-time, part-time, regular and irregular as well as remote
education.
To redefine training and education targets, to
re-construct teaching programs, teaching plans as well as the
contents and methods suitable for each level and branch to meet the
needs of the country's development. especially those of
industrialization and modernization process and educational
management workers.
To strengthen legal system in education.
Gradually increase budget for education, to mobilise possible from
the people, to attract international aid and loans for the sake of
education development.
To improve the quality of teachers.
To renovate Educational Management.
2. International Cooperation in Education:
Vietnamese Government puts priority for cooperation in the following
fields:
-
Developing the human resources,
concentrating on training qualified and skilled workers,
especially, for the fields that utilize advance technology, and
for business administration.
-
Promoting branches and subjects essential
for the modernization and industrialization process and for
implementation of international cooperation.
-
Training and recycle training and
managerial educational workers, exchange of students,
information as well as experience in science and education.
III. Target by the year 2000:
In
the remaining years of this century, the Vietnamese Government has
set fourth following targets:
-
To give the chance to most children of
age of five to go to kindergartens in preparation for the
1st grade of primary school.
-
To proliferate primary education all
over the country and basic secondary school for the urban
ares and those whre conditions allowed.
-
To give the chance to about 60%
children of the age from 11 to 15 in the whole country to
enter secondary schools by the year of 2000. To expand and
improve politechnical and vocational education and teaching
languages, computer in secondary schools.
-
To eliminate illiteracy for the people
at the age from 15 to 35, to archieve illiteracy elimination
and compulsory primary education all provinces according to
national criteria.
-
To increase the number of trainees in
all forms to 1 million people/year representing 22% to 25%
of the trained labor force by 2000.
-
To enhance the university and college
education one and half time in comparison with the scope of
1995 with the structural proportion in comformity with the
structure of labor force and structure of the economy.
-
To expand forms of the regular
education and remote education in particular.
Source: Asiarecipe.com, independent research
