THE OPERATION OF CLCS IN HO CHI MINH CITY AND SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS

Current situation Mission for : -Sustainability -Expansion of the CLC model to wards, communes and towns. -Objectives for CLCs: + I lliteracy eradication + Develop knowledge and skills in agriculture, rural development, health, politics, legislation, culture, etc. according to local needs. - Improve the quality of CLCs: provide access to and training in using the Internet.

Current situation : 39 CLCs in 13 districts : 318 TT citywide (98,75%). In our 24 districts, over 80% communes, wards, towns have CLCs. -3 types of CLCs: urban, suburban, rural -Venue: wholly owned venue or shared with culture houses, schools, People’s committee offices CLCs have wholly owned venues + 78 CLCs cooperate with culture houses, libraries, commune post offices + 84 CLCs cooperate with schools + The remaining CLCs: operate at People’s committees, religious facilities, clinics -155 CLCs have Internet access -43 core CLCs

CLC operation 2008: 113 CLCs: 288,217 participations 2013: 317 CLCs: 1,344,438 participations In detail: 30,860 agricultural training participations 13,693 vocational participations 26,418 family economy counselling participations 358,937 legislative briefing participations 281,728 healthcare briefing participations 168,378 cultural and sports participations

Actions taken to improve CLC operation 1. Spreading propaganda on the role and position of CLCs in the building of a learning society and in local socio-cultural development plan to achieve support and coordination 2. Advising the City Party Committtee/ the City People’s Committee to issue directives and guidance on BLS and fortify the district steering committee on 3. Organising scheduled evaluation conferences to monitor the progress of BLS objectives and communicate forthcoming tasks to relevant officials 4. Organising training sessions on CLC management skills to newly rotated managers 5. Working in collaboration with other departments to issue written guidance on financing and implementing CLC activities

Achievements HCMC maintains the high rate of illiteracy eradication. Every year CLCs attract thousands of people to literacy classes, most of them are working people The skill-training courses help families improve their standands of living and in many cases, these people can even contribute back to the community Various thematic sessions help raise the community awareness of laws and policies, fostering understanding and harmony among inhabitants of the locality To some extent, CLCs have mobilised the community resources (facilities, human resources from other institutions, infrastructure…) towards meeting the learning needs of local people

Difficulties -Only 267 CLCs received funding for setting up -223 CLCs receive funding for operation -Many activities are unworkable due to lack of funding -While regular funding is sparse and dependent on budget at commune or ward level, community learning demands are great -Economic and social resources are not mobilised to their capacity due to asynchronous coordination. -Management is unstable due to term-based rotation of managers. -Shortage of instructors; their knowledge and delivery also leave much to be desired -Shortage of materials

Difficulties -Insufficient and inaccurate needs analysis, leading to underperformance. -Male citizens are uninterested. -Suburban residents lacking of motivation and practice of self- study due to limited level of awareness and life burdens. -Few farmers participate in community learning. -Officials fail to meet professional standards after training. -Few young adults participate in continuing education or vocational training because they either prefer income- generating work or cannot find employment after training.

Causes -Unrealistic pocilies for students, teachers and officials who engage in literacy and post-literacy and continuing education. This has led to demotivation. -Part-time managers  lack time and experience in order to promote, plan and operate CLCs. -Some CLCs are not assigned part-time teachers for their operation -Inappropriate incentive policies for teachers. -Managers of the CLCs are frequently rotated, affecting operation.

Causes -Some places assume that building a learning society is the sole responsibility of Education, not of the whole community. -CLCs are yet to be promoted among the poor and disadvantaged. -Certificates of completion, issued by CLCs, are not highly valued.

Objectives for District People’s committee: -Regularly review annual results. -Adequately fund CLCs -Organise scheduled evaluation conferences, and rewards high-performing individuals and groups. -Strengthen the Building a Learning Society steering bodies. -Organise regular briefings for the steering committee.

Objectives for Personnel: -A necessity for stable, non-rotating officials in charge of planning and operating CLCs. -Instructors in CLCs should receive the same treatment as when they are teaching in schools. -Managers should be annually trained in managerial capacity.

Objectives for Action Plan: -Jointly conduct analysis in terms of learning needs and current professional capacity of the community; -Open classes for: + Literacy, post-literacy and continuing education for young adults and adults at junior high and high-school levels; + Income-generating activities: vocational training, technology transfer; + Quality of life improvement programmes; + Counselling: health, career, finance, marriage and family planning, agriculture; + Sports activities -Planning must be specific for each month and quarter; -Timely evaluation and adjustment.

Objectives for Operation Funding: -Consult local leaders on budget estimates based on action plans. Budgets may come from government, projects, focus programmes, donors, various partners, and students contributions -This estimate must be integrated in overall local budgets.

Objectives for Instructors, Collaborators: -Build a team of instructors who are teachers or retired local officials. -Must be supported with timely supply of materials. Officials in charge of BLS: actively monitor and evaluate, assist in technical matters and guide CLCs’ operation. There should be cooperation in building and funding CLCs among the Party’s committee, People’s committee at ward, commune and town levels, and among different groups (e.g. the Learning Promotion Association). Communes, wards and towns should provide working places for CLC officials.

Effective CLCs in HCM City At: -Ward Thạnh Lộc, District 12 -Labours’ Union District 1 -Ward 14, Phu Nhuan District -Ward 7, District 11 -Ward 25, Binh Thanh District -Ward 13, Go Vap District -Ward 13, District 10 -Hung Long Commune, Binh Chanh District -Binh Hung Hoa Ward, Thu Duc District