VietNamNet Bridge - The educational sector has been blamed for the unemployment of 200,000 university graduates, among other issues. 

Insecurity at school

A report released by MOET and UNICEF shows that 80 percent of students suffered from gender-based violence at least once, while 71 percent suffered from school violence in the last six months.

A fourth grader at Vo Thi Sau Primary School in Quang Ninh Primary School was at risk of becoming blind after a friend threw a pen into his eyes. Their teachers knew about the accident, but did not inform the parents and the school.

Sexual harassment 

A number of cases in which teachers raped, took liberties or sexually harassed female students were reported in 2016. LTH, a music teacher, harmed a sixth grader at a school in Tan Binh district in HCMC five times. LVH in Binh Thoi district of Ca Mau province had intercourse with a ninth grader in a sugarcane field. Dinh Hai H repeatedly deceived and forced schoolgirls to have relations with him.

Achievement disease

A sixth grader in Soc Trang province has been asked to repeat the first grade because he could not read and write. This is a typical example of the ‘achievement disease’. Though the student was bad at learning, he had been moved up to the next grade every year.  

Too many foreign language teaching programs

Hanoi is running nearly 10 foreign language teaching programs at primary schools at the same time, while the quality cannot be controlled. 

Schools cooperate with foreign language centers to open classes and share profits. It is easy to get approval to set up classes. Parents complain that tuition is very high, but they still have to enroll their children in the classes, though the study is on a ‘voluntary basis’.

Private tutoring classes prohibited

The decision by the HCMC authorities to prohibit teachers from giving private lessons to their students raised controversy. The ban has been removed. However, the debate about private tutoring continues.

VNEN: is it good for Vietnamese students?

While educators believe that VNEN is a teaching model suited to Vietnamese students in modern times, parents don’t think so. 

Many parents from Vung Tau, Ha Tinh and Ha Giang, complaining that their children’s learning was getting worse, protested against the application of the model at local schools.

Parents enroll children in "brain stimulation" classes

Many urban parents are taking their children to training courses to have the children’s brains stimulated, hoping it will help them become more intelligent. MOET later ordered that these classes must be stopped.

Chi Mai