National Unity and Ethnic Identity in a Vietnamese University

Abstract

Debates over the education of ethnic minority populations in postcolonial nation-states have assumed a new life in the current era of globalized educational policy reform. There are many complexities and contradictions in these debates. On the one hand, there are arguments to address the inequitable and often brutal colonial legacies of schooling, to promote education in the service of national political integration, and to position nation-states’ economies competitively within the global economy. On the other hand, there is an affirmation of local identities, languages, and cultures and a desire to promote equal access to education and economic development. In crafting educational policy for ethnic minority groups in postcolonial societies, Rebecca Clothey (2005, 389) tells us, for example, “the challenge facing all school systems is how schools can help minorities to gain access to a social and economic system that is dominated by the values of the majority, while . . . retaining their separate ethnic group cultures and identities.” However, the resulting policies are often frustrated by the national majority’s desire to retain its hold on power through control of language, curriculum, and access to education and by the relative disadvantaged position of the ethnic minorities themselves. Vietnam is one of many postcolonial states in Asia grappling with mixed success with issues of national identity and minority education. Since the 1986 adoption of Doi Moi, the “Renovation” policy to promote Vietnam’s transition to a market economy, the Vietnamese government has focused increased attention on education for ethnic minority students. The Ministry of Education and Training now recognizes ethnic minority students as needing special help and support for education because of their disadvantaged socioeconomic status. Preferential policies for them include the establishment of residential preparatory schools in highland minority areas; scholarships to higher education; waiver of tuition fees; free notebooks, texts, and