HANOI, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Education and Training has proposed free tuition for all public elementary and secondary schools as an appropriate mechanism for universalizing access to education in Vietnam.
The proposal is part of draft amendments to the Law on Education that the ministry has submitted to the government, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Sunday.
Under this proposal, public schools will charge no tuition fees until students finish their secondary education (grades 6-9). Private schools have the right to develop their own tuition fee structures towards recouping costs and making reasonable profit.
According to the draft amendments, elementary and secondary schools (grades 1-9) should be considered primary education, while high school (grades 10-12) should provide a choice between academic or vocational training programs at beginning and intermediate levels. High school students should be allowed to switch to vocational training programs if they qualify.
The ministry has also proposed that Vietnam adopt different sets of textbooks for general education. While it will take responsibility for drafting one set, other organizations and individuals will be encouraged to write their own sets of textbooks based on the general education curriculum.
The proposal also imposes higher qualification requirements for elementary school teachers. They will have to obtain a college diploma in pedagogy instead of an intermediate-level vocational training certificate.
