Well Begun, but Aiming Higher: A Review of Vietnam’s Education Trends in the past 20 Years and Emerging Challenges

Hai-Anh H Dang,Paul W Glewwe

doi:10.1080/00220388.2017.1380797

Abstract

Given its modest position as a lower-middle-income country, Vietnam stands out from the rest of the world with its remarkable performance on standardised test scores, school enrolment, and completed years of schooling. We provide an overview of the factors behind this exemplary performance both from an institutional viewpoint and by analysing several different data sources, some of which have rarely been used. Some of the highlights are universal primary school enrolment, higher girls’ net enrolment rates, and the role of within-commune individual factors. We further discuss a host of challenges for the country – most of which have received insufficient attention to date.

Highlights

Among developing countries, Vietnam has become known for its performance in education
We do not attempt to provide an in-depth analysis of the causal relationships between these factors; rather we provide a broad-brushed picture of Vietnam’s education system, describing basic trends that emerge over time
We find that Vietnam has significantly increased school enrollment at all school levels in the past 20 years, with virtually universal school enrollment at the primary level and almost universal enrollment at the lower secondary level

Summary

Introduction

Vietnam has become known for its performance in education. As will be seen below, the country’s enrollment rates are very close to 100 percent at both the primary and lower secondary levels, and its upper secondary net enrollment rate increased from 27 percent in the early 1990s to over 70 percent in recent years This strong performance naturally raises the questions of what factors lie behind it, and whether this success can be replicated in other countries. Despite Vietnam’s impressive performance, we bring attention to several remaining challenges These include limited school choice, low enrollment at the upper secondary level, and a strong need for strategic planning for systemic reforms. By the late 1990s, enrollment rates in primary and secondary education had fully returned to the high levels attained in the mid-1980s, and since Vietnam has seen continued gains in enrollment at all levels This will be discussed in more detail below. Education can create room for personal emancipation and improves social equity for women (Muller, 2007).

Data and Analytical Framework

IV.1. Trends in School Enrollment

IV.2. Variation in Enrollment Rates by Gender and Ethnicity

IV.3. Sources of Variation in Student Enrollment and Years of Schooling

Further Reflections on Current Education Policy Issues in Vietnam

Conclusion

Data Sources

Findings

Grade 5 Assessment