1. University tuition ceiling raised to 240,000 dong
On August 21 the Prime Minister raised university tuitions from 180,000 dong to 240,000 dong per month. The tuition adjustment is part of the National Assembly’s Resolution on renovating education and training finances.
Tuition hikes have brought new worries to students burdened with higher daily expenses, room rents and other study costs. Many question if higher tuitions mean higher quality in education.
2. MOET drafts strategy for education development in 2009-2020
The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) announced plans for education development in 2009-2020, but it was not welcomed. Many believe that the ministry needs to devise a more scientific and feasible strategy.
Experts have pointed out that the time frame is not realistic and planners did not consult prestigious scientists and teachers from universities or education institutes. The plan’s goals are termed both unnecessary and unfeasible.
3. The future of multiple university entrance exams undecided
MOET tried multiple times to end university entrance exams and organize a single test for both high schools and universities, but the public has not supported the measure.
4. Many schools became hospitals to fight A/H1N1 flu
On July 19, 2009, Ngo Thoi Nhiem High School in HCM City became the first school in Vietnam to serve as a hospital to fight swine flu. Other schools followed, becoming makeshift hospitals with physicians, ambulances and medical equipment.
5. Schools try to renovate teaching and learning methods
Many schools have sought to improve teaching and learning methods to replace older approaches that have been criticized as “out of date and ineffective.” Luong Dinh Cua Primary School in HCM City, for example, organised group-based classes to shift to student-centered teaching methods.
The HCM City Education and Training Department supported these changes.
6. Too many school fees frighten students’ parents
Education inspection tours discovered that schools collected too many fees and burdening parents and students. One primary school in Hanoi, for example, had a long list