Education in Viet Nam
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Contents |
Overview
Viet Nam is located in Southeast Asia. It has a centralized public education system that provides free education to all children from 6 to 14 years of age.
Viet Nam aims to foster an improvement of general knowledge, workforce training, and talent in people through educational development. The economy aims to imbue a sense of creativity and independence in a culturally sensitive and traditionally minded Vietnamese people.
Principle aims and concerns in education currently include:
- The elimination of illiteracy in the age group 15-35
- The universalization of education for the students 6-14 years of age.
- The creation of a secondary education system that links vocational and general education
- Expansion of higher education, including master's and doctoral programs
- Evaluation and restructuring of education and training goals, curricula, and improvement of teacher support
- Promotion of education concerning mathematics, science, and technology
- Development of education for disadvantaged students
- Improvement of government leadership of education and an increase in funds for education
- Raising standards for teaching staff and administrators
The Ministry of Education and Training is the supreme authority for the national education system in Viet Nam. The Ministry includes the Department of Vocational and Technical Education, and within the scope of this Department are the Departments of Education and Training. These Departments supervision of pre-school, general, and vocational education in their provinces.
Primary Education
The primary education system in Viet Nam was revised during the 2002-2003 academic year and now contains two phases.
The first phase includes grades 1-3 and is organized around seven subjects: arts, mathematics, morality, music, nature and society, physical education, and Vietnamese language. The second phase includes grades 4 and 5 and is organized around nine subjects: arts, basic techniques, geography, history, mathematics, morality, science, physical education, and Vietnamese language.
In addition to the restructuring of the primary education system, the methods of teaching, assessment, and textbooks were also revised.
Many of the challenges facing Viet Nam in education are also to be found across the globe. These challenges include insufficient funds, difficulty in maintaining the quality of universal education, and an insufficient number of qualified teachers and classrooms. Another challenge the nation has been addressing is that most students only attend half-day classes and approximately 660 hours of schooling per year as compared with an average of 1,000 hours per year in other countries.
Secondary education
The secondary education system comprises two phases, similar to the primary educational system.
The first phase includes grades 6-9 and requires that students have a primary education diploma and are at least eleven years old. The second phase includes Grades 10-12 and requires that students have basic secondary education diplomas and be fifteen years old.
Secondary education in Viet Nam focuses on the development of students' creativity and self-motivation to encourage their interest in their studies. In order to foster these qualities, the curriculum includes arts, basic skills, morality, and the physical body.
Higher education
Higher education aims to encourage students with political and moral qualifications who are ready to serve the nation, cultivate practical knowledge, good health and abilities that contribute to the nation's progress and defense.
Recent data show there are 111 universities in Viet Nam and 119 colleges and the total number of students exceeds one million.
Students with upper secondary education or secondary vocational education certificates can attend 3-year college programs that train students for specific careers and provide them with practical and problem-solving skills.
Undergraduate programs in Viet Nam generally last four to six years for those with upper secondary education or secondary vocational education certificates, and one to two years for those students who have completed college programs pertaining to the same subject area.
Degrees received from higher education institutions vary depending on the school.
Students who graduate from:
- Colleges receive college diplomas
- Undergraduate programs receive bachelor degrees
- Masters programs receive masters degrees (ex:Master of Arts, Master of Business Administration)
- Doctorate programs receive doctorate degrees
Research institutes receive their permission to offer programs as assigned by the Prime Minister, including doctorate and post-doctorate programs.
For more information please visit:
- World Data on Education Database
- Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training
- UNESCO statistics on Viet Nam Education
- http://www.learnapec.org
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