VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese students with English names are not rare in English classes in Viet Nam, especially in those taught by native English speakers. But HCM City’s Education and Training Department does not approve: the department has banned the use of English names for Vietnamese students in its latest teaching guidelines for the school year, which officially took effect early this month. According to the department, Vietnamese students should be addressed by the names they were given at birth by their parents as a way to show respect for the mother tongue and Vietnamese culture. Supporters of the ban say that a name is one of first things that children recognise, one of first words they learn to say, and the way the world identifies them. A name also carries expectations, hope or personal meanings that parents and families … [Read more...]

The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) conducted a surprise inspection of the educational establishments in four cities and provinces to review the collection of tuition fees this academic year. First-grade students in an elementary school in Hanoi. The Ministry of Education and Training has found that many schools in cities and provinces are charging unregulated fees.  The inspection was conducted after the government received public feedback on the exorbitant school fees in some schools in Hanoi and Hai Phpng cities, and Ha Tinh and Nghe An central provinces. Many parents had complained that the fees were extremely high in many schools across the country. They reported to the media that some elementary schools imposed a fee of VND9 million or VNĐ16 million (US$400 or $711) per student a year. Tong Duy Hien, deputy chief of the ministry’s inspection agency, said that the inspection teams had … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge - The argument about whether to continue the VNEN teaching model has resurfaced after the World Bank released a report, affirming the great advantages of the model, and HCMC’s decision to continue the model at local schools. The World Bank has made public the results of a study on the impact of VNEN on Vietnamese students. The report says the VNEN application has had an impact on students’ cognitive ability and non-cognitive skills. The average level of impact is 0.16 in Vietnamese language, 0.18 in math and 0.41 in non-cognitive skills. For non-perception skills, the students taught under VNEN have seen behavioral and relationship skills improve. These skills include taking responsibility for personal belongings, managing time and keeping promises. The report says the VNEN application has had an impact on students’ cognitive … [Read more...]

More than 2,200 Vietnamese are currently studying in New Zealand, putting it among the Top three Southeast Asian countries in terms of student numbers, Education New Zealand (ENZ) revealed at a recent conference in Ho Chi Minh City on studying abroad. The number of Vietnamese students pursuing bachelor degree at universities in New Zealand puts it among the Top 5 of all countries. The number increased 88 per cent in the first eight months of this year. Meanwhile, Vietnamese taking on Masters or doctorate studies accounts for about one-third of all international students. ENZ also revealed a 97 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of first-time student visas during the first five months of 2017. According to ENZ, the Top 5 fields of study most popular among Vietnamese students are management and commerce (about 40 per cent), social and cultural studies (about 30 per cent), information technology (about … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – Bui Thi Phuong of Nghia Lo Town in the northern province of Yen Bai, wanted a collection of stories to gift her daughter on her birthday. A new page: Children enjoy reading books at a library in the northern province of Cao Bang. Photo childfund.org.vn However, she was unable to find the perfect gift despite wandering around book stores in the town for several hours. There were stories selling text books, but almost none had literature on their shelves. “I then had to ask for help from a friend in Ha Noi to buy a collection of books for my daughter,” she said. The paucity of literature works is not confined to Nghia Lo Town. This is common to rural and mountainous areas all over the country. Tho Xuan District in the central province of Thanh Hoa is a place with a higher standard of living in comparison … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – School years throughout Viet Nam usually start with dry sermons by school principals and sombre school songs. Viet Duc High School in Ha Noi -- File photo But at Viet Duc High School in Ha Noi, the principal is moving to quite a different drumbeat – hip hop. For teachers and students of Viet Duc High School, this year’s opening ceremony will be an unforgettable memory, as they enjoyed a hip-hop dance and beat-boxing performed by principal Nguyen Quoc Binh. The image of the principal dancing to a hip-hop beat has energised the educational atmosphere, making the ceremony an even more festive day for students. With the hip-hop dancing and beat-boxing, everything around the school seems more exciting, and beautiful smiles lit up students’ and teachers’ faces. Many … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – Though they both come from France, it was in Viet Nam that they met for the first time, as they worked to develop vocational training in the country. Sharing expertise: Jean-Jacques Diverchy gives training course to teachers in Dung Quat college of Technology in Quang Ngai Province.— Photo Courtesy of Jean-Jacques Diverchy After many trips from France to Viet Nam over the last two years, Jean-Jacques Diverchy and Francois Sanchez have many Vietnamese friends and a strong attachment to the S-shaped country. The two experts first came in to the country in 2015. They arrived at Dung Quất College of Technology in central Quang Ngai Province to train Vietnamese teachers and create a new training regime to help develop the vocational training programmes at the higher technician level. The project … [Read more...]

As per the document, tuition fee for morning and afternoon classes in primary school ranges from VND100,000-150,000 (per student a month) while it is VND150,000-200,000 for a junior high school and VND200,000-300,000 for senior high school. All schools are eligible for collecting VND200,000-250,000 as service fee for day-boarders. It has seen of service fee hike of VND50,000 in preschools or parents must pay VND350,000-400,000 a month this year. Fee for all normal equipment and materials in all-level schools is VND150,000-200,000 a student monthly while it is VND450,000 for a preschool student. Especially, the Department added salary for contracted employees such as guards and cooks in preschools as per the Council Committee’s decision No. 04/2017 this school year. Each parent must pay VND30,000-40,000 for these employees. Self-financing schools must collect fee in line with the Department’s guidelines. For instance, Le Quy Don Senior High … [Read more...]

An independent group of six researchers who are working in Vietnam and other countries have announced a list of 49 top local universities on September 6. Hanoi National University The group includes Dr Luu Quang Hung from Australia, Dr Ngo Duc The from the UK, and Dr Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Dr Giap Van Duong, M.A Tran Thanh Thuy and M.A Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen in Vietnam. Prof. Tran Nam Binh from New South Wales University, Australia and Prof. Le Van Cuong from Pantheon-Sorbonne University, France, are the consultants for the project. The project is non-profit and carried out in three years and included over 100 universities in Vietnam. It is hoped to help universities improve and be more transparent amid the changing world. The Ministry of Education and Training has also tried to rank the universities but there's no comprehensive chart yet. There are three criteria including scientific research, education and training, and … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – Each student who joins the medical insurance programme would be provided with a social insurance code which could be used for all their lives, according to a new regulation for medical insurance, social insurance and unemployment insurance. Children’s ward at General Hospital of Sa Pa District, Lao Cai Province. - VNA/VNS Photo  The insurance code would be used for recording insurance history and processing insurance payment claims, said Tran Dinh Lieu, deputy general director of Viet Nam Social Insurance (VNSI). Under the new regulation, the monthly fee for medical insurance for students is 4.5 per cent of the State basic salary level, equal to VND58,500 (US$2.5), increasing from 3 per cent last year. However, each student would pay 70 per cent of the fee; the rest would be paid by the … [Read more...]