ST English Vietnamese

T
1 An education system equal to the
challenges of the new free market
economy
2 Academic (a,n)
3 “grossly pro-rich” imbalance of
subsidises going to better-off pupils
4 primary education
5 secondary education
6 Junior/lower secondary education
7 Senior/upper secondary education
8 Tertiary education
9 teaching standard
10 vocational training
11 to bridge the skills gap
12 graduates without marketable skills
13 to prize education above almost any
other aspect of cultural life
14 The “leading national policy”
15 to employ teachers without adequate
qualification
16 The lack of equipment and materials
17 enrolment ratio/school enrollment
18 to update the education system
19 to extend the hours of a school day
20 the current system of double or triple
“shifts”
21 a massive program of school building
and upgrading
22 to overhaul the whole training system
23 to ensure the quality teaching
24 to spend more on textbooks and
school equipment
25 to introduce subsidises to help poorer
students
26 does step up to the challenge
27 To have the vision and management
capabilities
28 the crisis inside its schools and
universities
29 to have the foresight to westle with
 the problem in a progressive way
30 To generate a creative, energetic,
high-performing population
31 Public/state school
32 private school
33 Semi-private school
34 People-founded/funded school
35 to meet the demands of
36 to ease the pressure on vietnam's
education system
37 to sharpen class distinctions
38 Shortage of schools
39 a shortfull of teachers
40 The required teaching qualifications
41 the Ministry of Education and
Training’s secondary-school
department
42 to follow state curriculum and use
state-sanctioned books
43 to receive a state certificate
44 the soak up a tiny proportions of the
students population
45 to ease overcrowding in schools
46 literacy rate
47 illiteracy rate
48 the school-age population
49 To levy assorted fees in addition to
tuition
50 Drop-out rate
51 to make education and training a
priority
52 to increase the share of the budget for
education
53 Teacher-training college
54 to waive tuition fee(s)
55 a proposal to increase teacher’s
salaries
A REVOLUTION IN VIETNAM'S EDUCATION
Source Target Comment
Education was an issue that
was at the center of heated
debate in the dying days of
1998. As academics argued
in newspapers that the
government was falling to
invest properly in schools
and universities, the word
bank produced the most
comprehensive ever report
into the subject,
spotlighting weaknesses
and shortcomings that must
be faced with if Vietnam is
to have an education
system equal to the
challenges of the new free
market economy.
The questions of teachers’
pay is central to a fierce
debate raging in Vietnam
over the state education
system and how to make it
good enough for the new
market economy it is
preparing pupils for. The
Eighth Party Congress
identified it as one of the
country's biggest crisis and
last month choose it as one
of the first issues is arising
from Congress to debate at
the Central Committee
level
Among the central points
in a wide-ranging and frank
assessment of Vietnam’s
economy by the World
Bank were
recommendation to:
Raise teacher’s pay
Increase school hours
Rectify the “grossly pro-
rich” imbalance of
subsidies going to better-
off pupils in tertiary
education
Improve teaching
standards Fine-tuned
vocational training to
bridge the skills gap that
leaves thousands of
graduates without
marketable skills.
it is a crossroads of
enormous significance in a
country that has always
prized its education above
almost any other aspect of
cultural life. In 1992 the
amended constitution
described education as the
“leading national policy”.
Many academics now
believe the government is
not living up to its pledges
and the standard of science
and education has gone
down in recent years.
The shortcomings in
education are easy to
define: The school day is
only four hours long, 25%
shorter than most countries,
and its school year is at
least 20 days shorter.
Teachers are badly paid.
Education spending is
poorly balanced with a
hugely disproportionate
amount going toward a
small number of students in
tertiary education and not
enough to primary
education. And many
schools especially at the
primary level, employ
teachers without adequate
qualifications.
So what went wrong?
Bradley Babson, former
Vietnam resident
representative of the World
Bank, argued: “education
has become affected by the
transition to a market
economy. In many ways,
the educational sectors
were on the back burner for
the last five years. The
leadership was focusing on
other things. There is now
a shift of focus and a
recognition of how
important Vietnam's people
are to the future succeeds
of the government's
policies and ambitions.
That is why education is
back in the front line.”
It is not a situation the
government has been
blinded to. The Central
Party Committee issued its
own resolution concerning
education in Vietnam
before The World Bank
report and its conclusion
was deeply self-critical. Is
describe the system as
“backward and dated” and
failing to meet the demands
of students, their families
and employees. “Twenty
years ago the level of
education and training in
Vietnam was considered
advanced by many
international organisations.
The situation has changed
now,” the resolution said.
“Vietnam's best pupils are
level with other countries
but in general, due to this
serious lack of equipment
and materials, pupils here
have a big gap in skills and
knowledge.”
The report concludes that
Vietnam is “right on the
track or even ahead of
schedule” with an
enrollment ratio of 5%
tertiary level. it seems
comforting news for
vietnam's educators. The
stark reality is that the
Asian tigers have seen
roared ahead into the far
distance living Vietnam
that with only lessons to
grabs at as to how to
update its own education
system to put it in on the
shame path.
Even the simple aim of
extending the hours of a
school day would mean the
current system of double or
treble “shifts” to fit more
pupils in a school day
would have to be
abolished, requiring a
massive program of school
building and upgrading.
meeting those costs and at
the same time boosting the
teachers’ salary by at least
40% while overhauling the
whole training system to
ensure quality teaching at
all levels will involve
massive rise in budget.
other proposals to spend
more on textbooks and
school equipment,
develope more effective
vocational training and
introduce subsidized to
have poorer students also
innvolve daunting amounts
of money. Vietnam spends
15% of its budget on
education and training
which is low compared to
other countries in the
region. Huge sums of aid
are waiting to be released
to Vietnam if the
government decides to take
the bull by the horns. Mr.
Babson argued that “a lot
depends on whether the
Ministry of Education and
Training (MOET) is ready
to move into a kind of
leadership role in
stimulating and developing
the quality of education
that is needed. The big
question mark is whether
MOET is able to step up to
the challenge and have the
vision and management
capabalities to take on
some of these issues.”
Vietnam has woken up the
crisis inside its schools and
universities. The first
months of 1999 revealed
whether it has the foresight
to wrerstle with the
problem in a progressive
way. In the eyes of both
Vietnam and the outside
world, it is a question of
what to do about the
nation’s most valuable
asset. “Vietnam’s assets are
almost entirely its people,”
said Mr. Babbon. “The
ability of Vietnam to
generate a creative,
energetic, high-peforming
population that cantake
advantage of freedom in
the opening of the
economy is where people
are placing their hopes in
the future of the country.”
It is believed raising the
pay of teachers is the most
important immediate step
to take. “If successfully
implemented, it could
make great immediate
changes Vietnam’s
education. In longer term,
more excellent students
will be keen to become
teachers and increase
teaching quality,” one
Vietnamese education
official said.