Vietnam, Ethnic Education in

Education System

In Vietnam, education is perceived to be the basis of economic and social development; thus, education is one of the nation's top priorities. The general education system in Vietnam consists of three levels: primary (5 years), lower secondary (4 years), and upper secondary (3 years). Higher education generally takes 4 years for most majors with the exception of medicine, which takes 6 years. Figure 2 outlines the structure of the education system of Vietnam.

Compulsory education begins when children reach the age of 6, and it continues for 9 years through the primary and lower secondary educational stages. The academic school year starts in September and ends in May. Although the official language of instruction is Vietnamese (the language of the Viet ethnic majority), the government also allows instruction in ethnic minority languages. However, only some of the minority languages (e.g., Tay, Thai, Ede, and Khmer) have written forms.

Education for Minority Ethnic Groups

From its establishment in 1945, the policy of the Vietnamese state has been to support the harmonious development of all the different ethnic groups in the country. Vietnam's educational policies are a part of this overall objective. To accomplish this, a primary educational goal is to eradicate illiteracy among all populations in Vietnam. In 2010, the rate of literacy among people over age 15 was 98%. Another aim is to universalize basic education. In 2000, Vietnam fulfilled the goal of universalizing primary education, and the government sought to universalize lower secondary education by 2010. By [Page 2282]2000, Vietnam succeeded in making primary education universal throughout the whole country. Currently, the average for years of schooling in Vietnam is 9.6. Vietnam has achieved equality in basic education among different ethnic groups in terms of participation rates. In higher education, the participation rate of some ethnic groups such as the Tay is equal to the Viet majority group. However, for most of the ethnic minority groups, higher education participation rates are much lower.

Figure 1 Map of Vietnam by Regions

Source: Vietnam annual statistical book of Vietnam 2009. Hanoi, Vietnam: Publishing House Thing Ke.

Vietnam has implemented many measures to provide further educational opportunities for ethnic minority groups. The following list illustrates some examples of the measures taken:

Figure 2 Current Education System in Vietnam

Source: Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training. (2005). Vietnam education law, 2005. Hanoi: Vietnam Ministry of Education.

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