Many problems face Vietnam’s education sector, but they do not represent the entire system, analysts say.

Vietnam has gained great achievements in education sector

Huynh The Du, lecturer at Fulbright Vietnam University, said at a workshop held recently in HCM City that the assessments by the international community show a bright picture about Vietnam’s education.

The latest UN’s HDI (human development index) report showed that Vietnam is above average in the world in terms of average years of schooling and average income per capita.

The proportion of university students is below the global average level, with 30 percent of youth receiving tertiary education. In Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong, the figures are 80-100 percent. 

Vietnam does not have ‘more than enough bachelor’s degree graduates’ or ‘lack skilled workers for factories’ as many people think. The country needs to increase the proportion to be able to develop.

Vietnam ranks 9th among 20 countries with the highest number of overseas students. 

The countries where Vietnamese students go are mostly developed countries. When Vietnam is listed among the countries with high numbers of overseas students, this is a good sign for the nation’s development, not a phenomenon called ‘education asylum’, as some people say.

Vietnam is also listed among the countries which have high state spending on education, and there are many choices for education and training. 

People can go to state-owned and private schools or follow programs designed in accordance with international standards, from primary to tertiary education.

In terms of the World Bank’s Human Capital Index, in Asia, Vietnam is below developed countries, but it has the same ranking with China and is above other countries.

In WIPO’s (World Intellectual Property Organization) ranking about innovation and creativity, Vietnam ranks 45th among 200 countries and the second among low-average income countries. This is the highest achievement the country has ever gained.

HCM City National University and Hanoi National University have been listed in QS Ranking 2019. The former is in the group of schools ranked in the 701st to 750th category, while the latter was in the 801st-1,000th group.

Problems exaggerated

Even the world’s leading education systems such as the US and France also have their problems. Nguyen Kim Hong, former rector of the HCM City University of Education, cited a report as saying that 29 percent of teachers in the US had thought of changing jobs because of problems in the education system.

Vietnam also has its problems, such as exam cheating and unemployment of thousands of bachelor’s degree graduates, but these are particular cases which do not reflect the general situation of Vietnam’s education, analysts say.

Source: VietNamNet