However, some individuals, who do not have objective and comprehensive viewpoints, deny Vietnam’s educational achievements due to several incidents that have happened recently in the sector.
Distortion and wrong linkages
Recently, the society, especially those who care about the educational sector have been worried and sad when they heard about the case when a female primary school teacher in Long An province had to kneel in front of some students’ parents. This was a rare incident worth criticizing because it seriously damaged the educators’ honor, prestige, and dignity. After the incident occurred, relevant agencies immediately investigated the matter to clarify the nature, level, and consequences of the incident. Consequently the individual who forced the teacher to kneel was expelled from the Party.
When many media agencies, lawyers, and educators voiced their concerns at the time, analyzed thoroughly, and commented with consideration to the reasons and feelings of others, some individuals still viewed the incident with subjective viewpoints which lack of good will and humanity to generalize the incident to deliberately draw a bad picture of the Vietnam’s education sector and its educators. Especially, some took advantage of some separate incidents to distort the good goals and nature of the Vietnam’s revolutionary education sector. For instance, they considered Vietnam’s education sector “a beggar of the society” and drew a negative conclusion.
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Photo: tapchigiaothong.vn |
Writing about education by using those barbaric words shows the bad will of the commentators. Meanwhile, this way of evaluating the Vietnam education sector is like seeing an elephant in the dark room. As a result, it is impossible of those commentators to persuade the Vietnamese people and to attack the Vietnam’s revolutionary education sector, which has experiences gathered over seven decades of development with unique humanitarian characteristic.
Bright patterns of Vietnam’s education
Bearing in mind President Ho Chi Minh’s teaching: “A fool nation is a weak one,” over the last 73 years since Vietnam gained independence, the Communist Party of Vietnam and the State have increasingly paid due attention to the education sector as it is related to national strengths, existence and prosperity. Our Party has repeatedly confirmed that education and training is the leading national policy and investment in this sector is for development. Therefore, in each revolutionary period, Vietnam’s education sector is reformed to catch up with the development of the time and improve the quality of human resources to meet the demands of the cause of national construction and protection.
Since the mid-20th century, Vietnam has implemented many educational reforms. In 1950, when the country was burdening an uncountable amount of hardship, the first educational reformed was conducted in order to build an education of the people, by the people, and for the people. In 1956, the second reform was launched to train the young generation to become good citizens with good capacity. In 1981, the third reform, which was more comprehensive and synchronous, was initiated to introduce changes in the educational system, especially in the contents and teaching methodology.
Today, Vietnam is implementing an educational revolution to change the education sector basically and comprehensively in the spirit of Resolution 29 – NQ/TW of the Party’s 11th term. This move is to ensure that Vietnam’s education sector develops in the Socialist orientation and international integration, and suits with the fourth Industrial Revolution.
One of the biggest achievements that is recognized by the international community during 30 years of renewal is that the Vietnam’s education has improved in both quality and quantity. Vietnam has not only universalized primary education but also improved educational quality in different levels. Director General of UNESCO Irina Bokova said in August 2017 when she visited Vietnam that she had witnessed many changes after three visits to Vietnam, including economic development and education quality. She stressed that the training of teachers and promotion in equality and equity in education were impressive.
The leader of UNESCO has evidence to say that. So far, universities in Vietnam have over 500 international education programs with universities worldwide. Vietnam has also become a bright spot in the world’s education map when the country hosted successfully many international contests in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, or Biology. Achievements recorded by Vietnamese students in these international contests were also impressive. This is a lively example of a Vietnam’s education which is actively integrating into the world and reaching international standards. Those are bright patterns of the Vietnam’s educational picture.
Vietnam also has a rich tradition of respecting educators. Furthermore, the Party and State have also implemented many good policies to support educators to contribute more to their sector. Accordingly, most educators in Vietnam are dedicated to their job and contribute remarkably to the achievements of the sector.
Obviously, it does not mean that the image of Vietnam’s education sector can be viewed with “rose-tinted glasses” as Vietnam has challenges to overcome. These challenges have been defined by the CPV to map out comprehensive measures to improve the sector in the coming time.
Translated by Nam Long