Good morning ladies and gentlemen!

Overview on Education in VietNam Development History, Achievements, Challenges and Solutions A Presentation to senior education policy makers from six African countries Hanoi, June 26, 2006

Introduction We have presented to you the report of EDUCATION IN VIETNAM-DEVELOPMENT HISTORY, CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS aiming to provide the summary of the development of Vietnam Education, its achievements during the past 50 years and current efforts and some lesson learned in the reality. During this presentation, we would brief you the remarkable achievements and main challenges and solutions for Vietnam Education to meet the requirement of the country’s industrialization and modernization.

MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS OF VIETNAM EDUCATION (a) 1. Developed a fairly completed education system including the school coverage at the commune/ward level throughout the country; * 47,906 Early child clinics ( at the rate of 4.5 clinics/commune-ward) * 14,518 Primary school; 10,075 Lower secondary school; 1,034 multi-graded schools for Primary + Lower secondary( at the rate of 2.4 school/commune-ward) * 2,224 upper secondary schools (at the rate of 3.4 school/district-town) * 1,688 vocational centres (236 schools, 404 centres, more than 1000 classes); * 285 technical and vocational schools (4.5 school/province- city); * 230 Higher education institutions; 122 post-education centres

MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS OF VIETNAM EDUCATION (b) 2. Enlarging Education scale has rapidly improved which contributed to increasing literacy rates At school year : 23 million of learners (27.7% population) * 2,754,094 children at the early child care centres; * 7,773,484 primary pupils; 98% children at the age of 6-11 attend the schools; * 6,670,714 lower secondary pupils; 2,802,101 upper secondary pupils * 283,335 technical and vocational students; * 1,319,754 college/university students (increase 30% within 4 years); * 34,789 post-graduate students (increase 60% within 4 years)

MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS OF VIETNAM EDUCATION (c) 3. Obvious progress & continuing efforts to improve the equity in education. School year of : School girls at PE and LS: 47%; at US: 49%; at technical and vocational:58%; first year at college/University: 48% Female teachers at ECE: 100%; primary: 78%; LS: 70%; US: 55%; Technical and vocational:40%, college: 47%; University: 36%; Ethnic minority students: PE 18,5%; LS 13,7%, US: 9,4%, first year of college/university: 4%; Nearly 1/4 disability children access to school

Foundation for achievements in education (A) 1. The Party and state always set education the first priority of national policy * Each term of the Central Party committee initiate a discussion and issuance of the education resolutions (1994,1997, 2002); * The National Assembly issued the UPE laws in 1991; Education law in 1998; and in 2005; the state education laws is under development; and the Resolution of curricula renewal of Secondary education and ULS, and on Education development (2004) * Increase budget for Education : Out of GDP from 3.5% (1994) to 4.6% (2004); And from total public expenditure: from 14% (1997) to 18,6% (2005);

Foundation for achievements in education (A) 2. Vietnamese people have the tradition of learning eagerness and active participation in educational development. * In 2002, parents’ spending on their children’s learning was VND627,000 per student, i.e. 14.6% increase compared with * In response to the educational socialization policy, the number of non-public upper secondary schools increased from 542 to 607 (on average 20 schools per year) during period; and the number of upper secondary students increased from 30% (1994) to 58% (2004)

Foundation for achievements in education (A) 3. Teaching staff and educational managers are devoted to their profession; teachers working in highly mountainous, isolated and island areas have overcome all difficulties to maintain educational activities.

MAJOR Challenges to VietnamESE education 1. The demands for learning are increasing and creating acute pressures on the size expansion; 2. The demands for human resources for the socio-economic development are intensifying and creating acute pressures on the quality and efficiency; 3. The mismatches in terms of human resources, conditions and management require the renovated policy making and education administration The above-mentioned pressures are even more acute in the context of the development the socialist-oriented market economy, world economic integration and globalization

KEY SOLUTIONS IMPLEMENTED TO CONTINUATION OF EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT (a) 1. The shift of management focus – quality as the fundamental requirement: * Completed provision of conditions for quality assurance (renovated curricula, content and methods; increased instructional duration; teacher standardization; school/classroom concretization; improvement of teaching/learning equipment, etc.); * Establishment of quality accreditation system; * Definition of the standards for knowledge, skills and attitudes (forming the basis for the shift from input-based to output- based management); * Encouragement and facilitation of self autonomous and competition among educational institutions for higher quality of education

KEY SOLUTIONS IMPLEMENTED TO CONTINUATION OF EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (b) 2. Maintenance of the increased State budget and making use of all resources; and at the same time increased efficiency: *Increased State budget (in 2010: spending on education will account for 20% of total spending) *Renovated allocation criteria (student-based instead of population- based method, with priority given to ethnic minority and socio- economically disadvantaged areas) *Completed public expenditure structure: increased share for education component (1992:70%; 2002: 77.7%) and decreased share for training component. * The shift from school-based to direct support to learners. * Increased efficiency of the use of ODA funds (competition-based support, targeted budget support and considering ODA-funded projects as the pilot before expansion…) * Improved tuition fee structure; establishment and development of non-public schools/institutions; * Public and transparent financial allocation and use.

KEY SOLUTIONS IMPLEMENTED TO CONTINUATION OF EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (c) 3. Renovated state management of education: * Completed legal system for education * Reduced direct management of the MOET; strengthened monitoring and evaluation; * Increased autonomy and accountability of education institutions; * Stronger delegation of autonomy to local authorities.

Many thanks for your attention!