WB satisfied at education project for disadvantaged kids

The Primary Education for Disadvantaged Children Project (PEDC), which aims to improve quality of education services and underprivileged children’s access to school, is one of the most efficient educational projects in Vietnam.

The remark was made by the World Bank inspection team at a conference to sum-up the PEDC in the 2003-2010 period, held by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) in Hanoi on Dec. 8.

The World Bank supervision team visited PEDC beneficiary localities from Nov. 24 to Dec. 8 to assess the completion rates of the project’s initially-set targets and its effects on Vietnam’s implementation of educational targets as well as its sustainable benefits to the country.

At the conference, the WB team’s head, Maris O’Rouke, reported that the local authorities, teachers and parents of students showed improved awareness of their role and responsibility in reducing the proportion of children leaving school and in encouraging children to continue their education.

The project helped many schools obtain the minimum standard quality for their educational services. More than 300,000 teachers and managing officials in the projected localities were provided with training in 14 different programmes.

The PEDC also coordinated well a government-sponsored programme to upgrade schools to surpass the mid-term target in the number of schools upgraded and rebuilt.

Regarding financial management, the WB team praised the PEDC for a high rate of capital disbursement at over 99 percent.

The PEDC’s Director Dang Tu An said the project after seven years helped improve infrastructure for primary schools in the targeted districts. It built and upgraded more than 19,860 classrooms in 6,720 schools, 5,100 teacher’s rooms, and 10,640 toilets. It equipped the schools with 72,000 school desks, 3,400 tables for teachers, and thousands of blackboards.

It also helped improve the quality of primary education services through training teachers as well as assistants to help teachers and students of ethnic minority groups to better understand each other and grasp the curricula.

Thanks to the project, the number of registered students in 2010 was 98.7 percent compared to the target of 96 percent and the rate of children completing primary education in 2010 was 97.1 percent, exceeding the target by 10 percent.

The PEDC is a cooperation project of the Vietnamese Government, the World Bank, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)./.

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Parents blamed for role in teacher corruption

Students of Le Quy Don High School for gifted students in the northern province of Lai Chau study in a foreign language lab. Improving the quality of teaching in accordance with national standards at every school is expected to help prevent corruption in schools. — VNA/VNS Photo Bich Ngoc

HA NOI — Parents made the defeat of corruption in schools very difficult because often they were accomplices, the Education and Training Ministry's Deputy Inspector Pham Van Tai told a workshop in Ha Noi yesterday.

"Often, parents will abet teachers and educators in their corruption as long as they think it's best for their children," he said.

"If the parents do not speak for themselves about corruption, who will?" he asked the workshop which assessed the results of the 7th Anti-corruption Dialogue in May.

"Do you think the defeat of corruption will ever become a reality given that teachers attain certain, and in some cases, absolute, power over their students?"

The inspector told the workshop that corruption continued despite regular inspections.

"But few parents want to spill the beans about how much they paid to get their children admitted to a good quality class," he said.

"Without evidence we often end in a situation where we know what has happened but can't prove it.

"The important task is to raise awareness among parents and students about the evil of corruption and encourage them to exercise their right of denunciation."

Deputy inspector Tai said paying bribes for admittance to schools was the most common form of corruption.

Parents were willing to pay extra to get their children into a public high school because they assumed the teaching at State-subsidised institutions offered the better teaching quality and the fees were much lower than at private schools.

Peer pressure also made parents partly responsible for extra-curricula teaching and learning.

"Although extra teaching and learning are allowed only students of poor achievement or excellent students, parents whose children were outside both groups still want them to take part in extra classes," he said.

"Otherwise, they feel their children are being left out."

Enrolment pressure on public high schools and all other quality schools was high because the schools had not met society's requirements.

Deputy Minister of Education and TrainingNguyen Thi Nghia said the ministry had finalised the compiling of teaching materials to pilot anti-corruption teaching in high schools early next year.

The deputy minister said the pressure for entry to quality schools could be attributed in part to the difference in teaching quality and facilities between schools.

"One measure which will be taken to bridge the gap is to improve the quality of teaching staff in accordance with the national standards at every school," she said.

The workshop also assessed a survey to identify the risks of corruption in the transfer of land-use rights and house ownership.

The survey, the work of the Government Inspectorate, is scheduled for publication next week. — VNS

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Decree aims to curb kindergarten overcrowding

Six-year-olds learn to draw at a kindergarten in the southern coastal city of Vung Tau. A decree drafted by the Ministry of Education and Training that aims to limit classroom sizes to 35 is said to be unfeasible. — VNA/VNS Photo Kim Phuong

HA NOI — There are growing public doubts about the Ministry of Education and Training's new draft decree stipulating that there should be no more than 35 children in each public kindergarten classroom.

Many people say the plan is unpractical and unfeasible, especially as students at schools are often divided into different age groups that share the one classroom.

While classrooms often have several teachers, the draft decree, which was released early this week, stipulates there be no more than between 25 and 35 children aged between three and six years old in each classroom.

The decree also stipulates that day-care centres must ensure each carer looking after children under one year of age has no more than four children to look after. Previously each carer could look after up to 15 children.

For children aged two to three years of age, each carer should have no more than 25 children to look after.

Apart from the required number of teachers and carers at kindergartens and day-care centres, the decree also regulates that one additional teacher was needed for four or more disabled children at public nursery schools.

The regulations aim to gradually ease the serious overload of pupils at pre-schools in major cities across the country, while also improving the quality of teaching.

However, the regulations have been criticised as being too difficult to reach.

Nguyen Thu Hang, mother of a three-year-old student enrolled at Ba Dinh A Public Nursery School in Ha Noi, said there were more than 50 children in her child's classroom and only three teachers to take care of them.

"Only private pre-schools can ensure no more than 35 students in each classroom," said Hang. "Public schools may have more than 50 students in a class and the better a school's reputation, the more crowded the classes."

Principal of Tuoi Hoa Public Nursery School Nguyen Thai Thuan said many students would be left with no place to go if schools were forced to limit class sizes.

"Parents do not have many choices," said Thuan. "Few feel secure about sending their children to small private child care centres, as the larger private child care centres that offer peace of mind are a lot more expensive.

"Not many parents can afford the VND2-3 million (US$95-142) in fees charged each month at good private schools."

School representatives also said the municipal Department of Education and Training's new regulation, which encouraged all children to enrol at pre-schools before starting primary school, would put nursery schools under pressure to receive more students and make classrooms even more crowded.

Statistics from Ha Noi Department of Education and Training shows that there are 667 State-owned pre-schools and 160 privately-operated schools. State-supported schools are reported to have an average of 50 to 60 students in each class.

Many parents have to queue up all night for a chance to register their children at one of these schools, which are often larger and better equipped, as well as less expensive than private schools.

Hoang Thi Kim Thuy, senior official from the ministry who is in charge of collecting feedback on the issue, admitted the target might be hard to achieve.

"But the ministry will collect feedback from the public on the issue during the next two months and adjust the regulations if necessary," said Thuy.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan called on the Ministry of Education and Training to complete proposals on construction and upgrades of schools and teacher-training facilities that used official development assistance.

The nation aims to spend more than VND14.6 trillion (US$736 million) on developing education facilities for five-year-olds during the 2010-11 period.

The programme, which will be submitted to the Government for approval, includes the construction of new schools and classrooms, purchase of study and teaching aids, training of teachers and support for poor students.

Also under the programme, 86 new kindergartens meeting national standards will be built in 62 poor districts, of which 24 are in six mountainous provinces bordering the Central Highlands. — VNS

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Flooded schools to reopen soon

The Ministry of Education and Training is mobilising all resources to help inundated schools in the north-central provinces re-open for students as soon as possible, said Minister Pham Vu Luan in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency.

"It's the first priority for the whole educational system for the time being," he said.

As soon as the floodwaters began to recede, the ministry asked its departments in the three affected provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh to begin working with local authorities and parents in cleaning up and repairing damage done to schools.

"We also asked local education departments to assess the losses in their provinces so that the ministry could file a report with the Government to request the necessary assistance," he added.

The immediate job for now was to supply enough textbooks to school children, he said.

"Then we will gradually repair or replace damaged facilities and equipment and support needy teachers and children," he noted.

The Education Publishing House has just printed an addition of 400,000 copies of textbooks which had already been transported to the affected provinces.

A ministry task force will arrive in the region this week to inspect the damage and investigate ways of dealing with the aftermath of the floods.

Although schooling was interrupted for two weeks, students in the region could still catch up on their courses given the two reserve weeks built into the academic year, said the minister.

"We will give instructions to schools to make necessary changes to the curricula," he added.

As for the loss of student report cards and relevant documents, the minister ensures that the problem would be solved in the best interest of the students.

The floods cost the education sector more than 700 billion VND (35 million USD) and left six students dead, according to the minister. So far, the ministry has raised 3 billion VND (150,000 USD), with several international organisations providing aid to children affected by the disaster./.

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Vocational schools avoided

by Thu Hang

A teacher at Hung Vuong Vocation Training and Technology School in HCM City introduces equipment to students. City's vocational schools find it hard to attract students without regulations that will allow them to continue their studies in universities. — VNA/VNS Photo Phuong Vy

HCM CITY — High-school students in HCM City remain reluctant to join vocational schools because a promised change in regulations that will allow them to continue their studies in universities has yet to be made.

Dr Phan Quang Thai, deputy rector of the Ngoc Phuoc Vocational School in District 12, said only 32 students joined his school in the first nine months though it sent letters to more than 8,000 households in the city and neighbouring provinces.

The school has invested more than VND20 billion (US$1.02 million) in infrastructure and equipment and is operating at a loss, he told a conference held in the city last week to discuss enrolling students in vocational training schools.

The Ministries of Education and Training and Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs should soon send the circular they promised nearly five years ago to allow students to continue studying at universities after finishing vocational school, he said.

In the absence of such a regulation, students cannot get a university degree without losing the two years they spend in a vocational school.

"There is no reason not to allow students to further their education at colleges or universities after they graduate from vocational schools," he added. The city's 52 vocational colleges and schools have enrolled 16,000 students this year, or just two-thirds of the year's target, according to Le Trong Sang, deputy director of the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The low salaries paid to trained workers are also discouraging students from joining vocational schools.

Le Van Son, deputy rector of the Vocational School for International Manpower in Tan Binh District, agreed, saying that the city should fix minimum salaries for trained workers.

Financial support should be provided not only to vocational schools but also to students to encourage them to join these schools, he said.

Only students who fail to get through university entrance examinations choose to attend vocational courses, Duong Minh Kien, rector of the Quang Trung Vocational School in Go Vap District, said.

Vocational schools also find it hard to attract qualified teachers due to their low salaries, especially in outlying districts.

Authorities hope to provide vocational training to at least 70 per cent of the workforce by 2015, Sang said, adding that it numbers more than four million now.

The department has tasked the Centre for Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labour Market Information with surveying labour supply and demand, and this will be completed early next year.

The survey will help vocational colleges and schools tailor their courses to meet markets needs.

Last year nearly 21,500 students attended city-run vocational colleges and schools, according to the department. — VNS

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Strategy seeks to promote reading across Viet Nam

Young people read books in Thong Nhat Park in Ha Noi. A proposed national strategy aims to improve libraries across the nation while also promoting reading among younger generations. — VNS Photo Truong Vi

HCM CITY — Setting up a modern network of libraries with professional librarians and various kinds of books around the country by 2020 is part of a proposed national strategy to nurture the reading habit.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Library Department has unveiled a draft of the strategy which will also seek to develop the ability to use the information obtained from books and the internet.

A mobile library service will be developed in rural and mountainous areas for residents' benefit.

The Government will also build more libraries in northern mountainous and Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) provinces, upgrade existing ones and also increase their number of books.

Libraries in large cities like HCM City, Ha Noi, Da Nang, Can Tho, and Hue will be developed to international standards.

All libraries will use information technology.

Private libraries will be encouraged.

The department said more than 40,000 libraries, including those at universities and schools, were in existence 2009.

However, the reading habit has yet to become widespread, Vu Duong Thuy Nga, the department's deputy head, admitted.

She listed a number of shortcomings.

Too few books

Libraries may have been built but they do not fully meet the demands of people.

The average number of books per person at public libraries is low.

High-schools students go to their school library just once a week on average because of a shortage of librarians and the small size of libraries.

There are not enough quality books and magazines in libraries, especially in rural and mountainous areas.

Most ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and rural residents still lack easy access to books, newspapers, and magazines.

Nga said an important reason for reading being unpopular is schools and universities' failure to make it a central element of learning.

Students are not taught how to use libraries effectively and get information, she said.

But also, not enough good books are published because the failure to enforce copyright means there is no incentive for writers.

Early encouragement

At a seminar held in HCM City on Thursday, philosopher and researcher Bui Van Nam Son suggested that the reading habit should be inculcated in primary school.

Primary schools should focus on providing opportunities for children to read books and cartoons, he said.

They should upgrade their libraries and book-reading corners and organise exhibitions of books popular among students, he said, adding parents should read or tell stories to their children before bedtime.

Dr Quach Thu Nguyet, dean of the LiMA Life Management Academy, called for investing further in upgrading the country's network of libraries.

Good books should be introduced to the public through the media, she said, adding Viet Nam should dedicate a day for people to read along the lines of international reading day, April 23. — VNS

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More children with disabilities get opportunity to go to school

By Gia Loc

HCM CITY — Conditions have been created in HCM City for more and more children with disabilities to go to school, the Department of Education and Training has said.

In a report tabled at a conference on Wednesday, it said last year 5,476 disabled students attended school, 418 more than the previous year.

The number of normal schools admitting children with disabilities rose by 42.

The city spent VND7 billion (US$366,500) to build more classrooms at the Binh Minh Special School in Tan Phu District to take in more children.

The parents of the disabled children were regularly provided information about the kids' health and guided in helping them learn at home.

At special schools, students could take part in other activities like dancing, yoga and swimming, and were taken on trips to amusement parks like Suoi Tien and Dam Sen.

They were also taught soft skills to help integrate into society and provided career counselling.

At Nguyen Dinh Chieu Special Secondary School in District 10 for children with impaired vision, teachers themselves created teaching aids appropriate for their students.

Vocational skills

Besides, all students were taught basic computer skills and the school worked with the Medical University to teach them massage and other vocational schools.

It co-operated with hospitals to check students' eyesight to make books suitable for each.

Many schools, including the Can Thanh Special School in Can Gio District, waive fees and, in fact, financially assist poor disabled students.

Delegates also listed the difficulties faced by the city in providing education for disabled students.

Nguyen Thi Van Anh, deputy head of the department's Standing Board for Education of People With Disabilities, said there were not enough books and other teaching aids at special schools.

The number of teachers with knowledge of their students' disabilities remained low, leading to difficulties in teaching them.

Seven districts in the city – 4, 7, 9, Binh Tan, Thu Duc, Nha Be, and Hoc Mon – did not have public special schools, she said.

Binh Tan and Thu Duc have, however, recently earmarked land for building special schools, she said.

Besides, most special schools in the city were too small to meet demand while the Government provided them too little money to buy adequate teaching aids. — VNS

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