Dr. Vu Dinh ChuanDirector General

Secondary Education Department

Ministry of Education and Training

THE DEVELOPMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION IN VIETNAM DURING

THE INTEGRATION PROCESS

Contents

1. An overview of Vietnam education system

2. A review of Vietnam general education from 2001 to 2010

3.The context of developing Vietnam general education in the period of 2011-2020

4. The context of developing Vietnam general education in the period of 2011-2020

5. Objectives in general education development from 2011 to 2020

1. Achievements

Education scale and education institution network were developed:

+ The rate of children going to school:

- Primary education from 94% -> 97%;

- Lower secondary education from 70% -> 83%;

- Upper secondary education from 33% ->50%.

+ An extensive education institution network in the country -> people have better learning opportunities.

+ One primary school per commune, one lower secondary school per one or two communes; and at least one upper secondary school per every district.

Considerable improvements to the quality of general education. The young generation’s intellectuality and learning ability were enhanced. Elite education was also valued.

Vietnam succeeded in reaching the goal of illiteracy eradication, national compulsory primary education and lower secondary education universalisation. Primary education for the appropriate age group is also being promoted. Some provinces are carrying out upper secondary universalisation.

1. Achievements (2)

Social equality in approaching education has been improved, especially for ethnic minorities. More attention has been paid toward poor children, girl children, and disadvantaged ones.

Improved management in terms of decentralization and more autonomy for local education institution.

1. Achievements (3)

The teaching and management staff increased strongly both in number and quality.

The budget allocated for education is increasing with approximately 20% of the total national budget. Other resources have also been mobilized.

School facilities have been increased in both scale and quality. More classrooms and staff rooms have been built especially in the mountainous and remote areas.

1. Achievements (4)

2. Some limitations in Vietnam education

The whole system not in comprehensive operation; the continuation between levels of education is sometimes interrupted and limited.

Education quality and efficacy is considered under expectations.

School facilities and teaching equipment are considered insufficient especially in remote areas.

Teaching and management staff are considered not able to efficiently meet the education challenges in the new period.

Curriculum contents, teaching methods, and the work of testing and evaluating students are slow in reform.

The context of developing Vietnam general education in the period of 2011-2020

Vietnam became a member of WTO in 2006 and there needs to be a strategy both in short term and long term keeping pace with other countries.

Industrialization and modernization in Vietnam is in a new phase requiring the education system to reform.

The 2011-2020 Vietnam’s development strategy makes it clear that: A priority is to reform fundamentally and thoroughly the national education system.

Objectives in general education development from 2011 to 2020

1. General education is expected to be fundamentally and thoroughly renovated toward standardization, modernization, socialization and international integration;

2. Holistic approach towards general education;

3. Moral education, soft skill education, creative capability and practical skills are emphasized;

4. A high quality labor force for modernizing and industrializing the country, guaranteeing social equality in education and providing learning opportunity to everyone.

Objectives in general education development from 2011 to 2020

5. Intensive research towards improving moral education, soft skill education, legal education, foreign language education as well as information technology.

6. By the year 2020, the rate of children going to school at the appropriate age is aimed at 99%, 95% and 80% for primary, lower and upper secondary education respectively. 70% of disabled children are at school.

Measures to developing Vietnam education in the period of 2011-2020

1. Education management reform

2. Teaching and management staff development

3. Reforming curriculum contents, teaching methods, testing and evaluation and accreditation

4. Increasing investments in education

5. Enhancing supports for special need areas, minority peoples and social invalids

6. Widening and increasing efficiency in international education cooperation

Education management reform

Designing and finalizing a legal document framework.

Optimizing national educational management.

Implementing comprehensive decentralization. Perfecting and improvising a cooperation mechanism between local and central education agencies.

Performing management according to the country’s strategy, scheme and plan for education development appropriate with the social context.

Promoting the application of communication and information technology.

Optimizing national educational management

Strengthening and bettering the system of teachers’ training colleges and universities while innovating curriculum and teaching methods.

Ensuring there will be enough teachers to carry out comprehensive general education.

Standardizing in training, selecting, employing and assessing teachers and education management staff.

Reform curriculum contents, teaching methods, testing and evaluation and accreditation

Comprehensive reform in curriculum and textbooks from 2015.

reform in education with an orientation toward promoting students’ activeness, self-conscience, initiative, creativeness and self studiousness. Promoting ICT in schools.

Periodical national evaluation of general education students’ learning quality.

Increasing investments in education

Innovating the education finance mechanism in order to mobilize and use more effectively the government and society resources allocated to education.

Increasing the spending ratio on education in the total national budget.

Standardizing school facilities making sure there will be enough funding and teaching equipment at all education institutions.

Enhancing supports for special need areas, minority peoples and social invalids

Policies supporting and prioritizing education development for special need areas, minority peoples, social invalids and the poor.

Policies prioritizing teaching and management staff in special need, minority ethnic areas.

Developing a system of special schools for disabled, HIV, street children and other special need children…

Widening and increasing efficiency in international education cooperation

International cooperation between educational institutions inside the country and overseas is strongly encouraged in order to improve education quality, teacher and management staff capability. More students are expected to go overseas in exchange and grant programs with overseas schools and education institutions./.

Thank you!