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TEXT 1 A REVOLUTION IN VIETNAM’S EDUCATION

Education was an issue that was at the centre of heated debate in the dying days of 1998. As academics argued in newspapers that the government was failing to invest properly in schools and universities, the World Bank produced the most comprehensive ever report into the subject, spotlighting weaknesses and shortcomings that must be faced up with if Vietnam is to have an education system equal to the challenges of the new free market economy. The question of teachers’ pay is central to a fierce debate raging in Vietnam over the state education system and how to make it good enough for the new market economy it is preparing pupils for. The Eighth Party Congress identified it as one of the country’s biggest crises and last month chose it as one of the first issues arising from Congress to debate at Central Committee level. Among the central points in a wide-ranging and frank assessment of Vietnam’s economy by the World Bank were recommendations to: • Raise teachers' pay. • Increase school hours. • Rectify the "grossly pro-rich" imbalance of subsidies going to better-off pupils in tertiary education. • Improve teaching standards. • Fine-tune vocational training to bridge the skills gap that leaves thousands of graduates without marketable skills. It is cross-roads of enormous significance in a country that has always prized its education above almost any other aspect of cultural life. In 1992, the amended constitution described education as the “leading national policy”. Many academics now believe the government is not living up to its pledge and the standard of science and education has gone down in recent years. The shortcomings in education are easy to define: The school day is only four hours long, 25% shorter than most countries, and its school year is at least 20 days shorter' Teachers are badly paid. Education spending is poorly balanced with a hugely disproportionate amount going toward a small number of students in tertiary education and not enough to primary education. And many schools, especially at the primary level, employ teachers without adequate qualifications.

So, what went wrong? Bradley Babson, former Vietnam resident representative of the World Bank, argued: “Education has become affected by the transition to a market economy. In many ways, the educational sectors were on the backburner (đã phát triển chậm) for the last five years. The leadership was focusing on other things. There is now a shift of focus and a recognition of how important Vietnam’s people are to the future success of the government’s policies and ambitions. That is why edụcation is back in the front line.” ( đặt ở tuyến đầu) It is not a situation the government has been blind to. The Central Party Committee issued its own resolution (nghị quyết) concerning education in Vietnam before the World Bank report and its conclusion was deeply self-critical. It described the system as “backward and dated” and failing to meet the demands of students, their families and employees. “Twenty years ago, the level of education and training in Vietnam was considered advanced by many international organisations. The situation has changed now,” the resolution said. “Vietnam’s best pupils are level with other countries but in general, due to die serious lack of equipment and materials, pupils here have a big gap in skills and knowledge.” The report concludes that Vietnam is “right on track or even ahead of schedule” with an enrolment ratio of 5% in tertiary level. It seems comforting news for Vietnam’s educators. The stark reality ( thực tế rõ ràng) is that the Asian tigers have since roared ahead into the far distance leaving Vietnam with only lessons to grasp at as to how to update its own education system to put it on the same path. Even the simple aim of extending the hours of a school day would mean the current system of double or treble “shifts” to fit more pupils in a school day would have to be abolished, requiring a massive program of school building and upgrading. Meeting those costs and at the same time boosting the teachers’ salary by at least 40% while overhauling the whole training system to ensure quality teaching at all levels will involve massive rise in budget ( đem laị nguồn lợi nhuận lớn cho ngân sách) Other proposals to spend more on textbooks and school equipment, develop more effective vocational training and introduce subsidies to help poorer students also involve daunting amounts of money. Vietnam spends 15% of its budget on education and training which is low compared to other countries in the region. Huge sums of aid are waiting to be released to Vietnam if the government decides to take the bull by the horns (không ngại đương đầu với khó khăn). Mr. Babson argued that “A lot depends on whether the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) is ready to move into a kind of leadership role in stimulating and developing the quality of education that is needed. The big question mark is whether MOET is able

to step up to the challenge and have the vision and management capabilities to take on some of these issues.” Vietnam has woken up to the crisis inside its schools and universities. The first months of 1999 revealed whether it has the foresight to wrestle with ( đấu tranh) the problem in a progressive way. In the eyes of both Vietnam and the outside world, it is a question of what to do about the nation’s most valuable asset. “Vietnam’s assets are almost entirely its people,” said Mr. Babson. “The ability of Vietnam to generate a creative, energetic, high-performing population that can take advantage of freedom in the opening of the economy is where people are placing their hopes in the future of the country.” It is believed raising the pay of teachers is the most important immediate step to take. “If successfully implemented, it could make great immediate changes to Vietnam’s education. In longer term, more excellent students will be keen to become teachers and increase teaching quality,” one Vietnamese education official said. (Adapted from Vietnam Economic Times)