Oxfam's work in Viet Nam in depth

Education

With a quality education, an individual can develop skills to overcome poverty and suffering. However, girls and ethnic minorities in remote areas of Viet Nam are not offered equal enrolment opportunities in schools. The quality of teaching methods; demand for child labour at home or on farms; and children’s poor health and nutrition further affect their learning environment.

Oxfam began education projects in 1992 to help ethnic minority children, particularly girls, receive a good education. Currently, we work with partners to ensure that 11,000 children in Lao Cai and Tra Vinh Provinces have equal access to good quality basic education and are able to improve their learning outcomes. Through Information Education Communications (IEC), we aim to influence ethnic minority communities’ attitudes to the value of schooling, especially for girls.

In the 1990s, Oxfam and other international NGOs launched Child Centred Methodology (CCM), an active child-centred teaching methodology. The success of the programme convinced the Ministry of Education and Training to adopt and promote the methodology nationwide. Oxfam provides training on CCM and teaching methods to groups of core teachers who then train other teachers in their schools. Oxfam also provides training on teaching Vietnamese as a second language for ethnic minority children, child rights, and creating friendly school environments.

Giang Thi Si’s favourite subjects are mathematics and Vietnamese. She loves her teacher, Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh, as well as the teaching style. Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh uses Child-Centred Methodology, taught by Oxfam and partners, to introduce fun activities and games to promote interactive learning and discussion in the classroom.

The Oxfam Education Project moving forward...

• Nine schools under the Oxfam education project in Lao Cai Province have a significant declining dropout rate from 5 per cent in 2000 to 0.67 per cent in 2006.
• In Tra Vinh,  the enrolment rate increased from 83 per cent in 2000 to 99 per cent in 2004, attendance rate increased from 94 per cent in 2000 up to 99.6 per cent in 2004.
• In Tra Vinh and Lao Cai provinces, Oxfam built 80 classrooms, 14 teachers’ houses, and upgraded 18 classrooms. Oxfam also provided 1,869 sets of furniture, including tables, chairs, and teaching tools to schools.  We also built three bridges to provide access to school for poor children in remote areas in Tra vinh Province.
• In Lao Cai Province, Oxfam organised CCM training for 237 teachers who returned to teach 2,120 students  (100 per cent H’mong and Dzao ethnic minority children). In Tra Vinh province, 352 teachers were trained in CCM and 9215 students directly benefit (15 per cent of which are Khmer).

At all levels, Oxfam campaigns to allocate sufficient funds and resources to education, with a focus on ethnic minorities and girls. We join the Global Campaign for Education, calling on governments and the international community to fulfil their promises to provide basic public education for all people by 2015. Oxfam and partners also raise awareness among the public against stigma and discrimination towards women and children living with HIV and AIDS.

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Last updated: August 06