Vietnam Education Crisis

Vietnam's education system is in crisis.

What about this highly literate educated workforce we have heard so much about?

That is yesterday's news, not tomorrow's.

Literacy is necessary, but not sufficient to succeed in today's world. (Even then, with a 90.3% literacy rate Vietnam only ranks 114th of 205 countries... Literacy > Total population)

Sure, Vietnamese are highly literate and intelligent, but the education system, especially at the university and graduate levels, is doing a very POOR job of preparing them for the job market of tomorrow.

Farmers and unskilled, low-wage workers? Vietnam has plenty of those, but when it comes to doctors, PhDs, engineers, scientists, CEOs, and management of all levels there are severe shortages across the board.

The blame for this rests squarely on Vietnam's education system, which is outdated, under-funded, mismanaged, poorly staffed, and in desperate need of liberalization, privatization and a complete overhaul.

Too harsh? Consider these anecdotes:

In late 2006 Intel announced that it was going to invest $1 billion to build a semiconductor factory—its biggest in the world—in Ho Chi Minh City. Instead of looking to China or India, Intel turned to Vietnam. It was a watershed moment for the country—a validation of its stunning growth, of its economic reforms, of its integration into the world economy. Intel’s announcement was like a giant neon arrow pointing towards a prosperous, hi-tech future for Vietnam.

Earlier this year, with far less fanfare, Intel Vietnam gave an IT assessment examination to prospective employees, and the results were somewhat less auspicious. Of roughly 2,000 recent graduates tested, only an eye-rubbing, double-take-inducing 90 applicants got a score of 60 percent or higher. Worse, out of those 90, half then failed an English competency review.

The dispiriting results at Intel are far from isolated. Another semiconductor company operating in Vietnam, Japan’s Renesas Technology, reportedly could only find 60 qualified applicants out of a pool of 1,000, and these required 3-6 months of retraining once on the job. In fact, a 2007 World Bank survey found that 60 percent of new Vietnamese graduates needed retraining once they start working, with figures reaching 80-90 percent in high-tech industries.

Education>

This is shocking. This is scandalous.

Vietnamese place a high value on education, not to mention the future of their country.

If Vietnam wants to become a modern industrialized nation, NOW is the time for a total overhaul of the education system, before it is too late.

Why then are the parents not clamoring for better schools? Why are the newspapers not publishing these stories?

This anecdote about Intel has been making the rounds now for almost a year and it takes AsiaLife to finally publish it?

How about this passage from a recent Credit Suisse report (CS Trims Expectations on Vietnam)

As in Thailand and Indonesia, Vietnam’s educational system does not seem able to
provide the high-skilled workers needed for a modern economy. The World Economic
Forum ranks Vietnam’s higher educational attainments 93rd out of 131, behind Bolivia, Sri
Lanka and Peru, and far behind No. 44 Thailand, No. 62 the Philippines and No. 65
Indonesia. The quality of universities appears poor, even by South-East Asian standards.
A study commissioned by Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government
(“Choosing Success: The Lessons of East and South-East Asia and Vietnam’s Future”,
January 2008) argues that Vietnam’s higher education system badly lags regional peers.

Unless Vietnam radically reforms and opens up its education system IMMEDIATELY, it will not have the managers and engineers it needs to succeed and it will not be able to attract the high tech, high wage businesses it wants to drive its development to the next level. PERIOD.

Want to join the 21st century knowledge economy? Better get in the game NOW before it is too late...