The modern Vietnamese education system was founded shortly after the country declared independence from France in September 1945. It was first applied in zones around the country controlled by Việt Minh soldiers. After 1954 and the end of the war for independence against France, this education system spread further into North Vietnam due to the presence of the communist party.
This system is deeply rooted in Vietnamese history and has inherited some old flaws, such as a rigid, stressful learning system based on the common consensus that the teachers knowing everything and students knowing nothing. Parents and teachers expect students to be extremely good in school, and exam results are very important. The high school entrance exam is a source of tremendous pressure on young teenagers since their results on this exam will influence their future entrance into university.
Education is more an obligatory necessity rather than something students can enjoy. It has evolved somewhat over the years, mainly through step-by-step reform. A lot of the changes have been minor and quite inadequate in improving the Vietnamese system. A few have been more important, some good- like a law making physical and verbal violence against students illegal- others less positive, like adding the high school entrance exam that exerts such pressure today.
Depending on the level they teach, elementary or primary school teachers still have more or less the same old fashioned relationship with their pupils but are a little more open to discussion from the children and, above all, accept they are in school to learn and shouldn’t be criticized or belittled for their lack of knowledge.
“School is fun, the teacher gives us different activities to do, and we don’t have too much homework,” explains Thành, a primary school pupil. Secondary school pupils also enjoy a less rigid system now, with more discussions in class rather than one-way communication from the teacher talking and students silently taking notes.
Despite their shortcomings, the results of the three previous educational reforms still contributed to the overall advancements in our way of teaching, but there is always more room for improvement. Change is necessary to advance, but for this system to prosper, reformations must tackle its old flaws and be open-minded in their approach,
Bibliography:
https://wenr.wes.org/2017/11/education-in-vietnam
https://journals.openedition.org/ries/3742
http://gddtmangyang.gialai.gov.vn/tin-tuc-su-kien/hoat-dong-chuyen-mon/nhin-lai-cac-cuoc-cai-cach-giao-duc-o-viet-nam-co-so-tu-tuon.html
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