The emphasis of Vietnamese education.

Prior to relocating my life to the US, I had always been interested in the American higher education system. The American higher education system is considered preeminent among other countries. In Vietnam, where I came from, the national emphasis is on the importance of education as a means of preparation for specific categories of career attainment. Which are typically derived from social and familial utility rather than personal satisfaction, or entrepreneurial ambition. This stands opposed to the American system which purports to familiarize students with a broad based set of world knowledge. Allowing one to build upon this educational base, and pursue their own personal interests in adulthood; informed by the almost endless career options available in the U.S. 

As in America, Vietnamese universities are able to insist upon stringent admission criteria, as Vietnam’s students consistently outrank American students on the  Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test regime administered by The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), (Factsmaps, Pisa 2015). Those who attain degrees are able to reap a great deal of financial benefits and an increase in social status. But this environment promotes an indoctrination that is too often at odds with personal development, as it is focused towards economic exigency. But this almost militaristic approach to education has created an economy that is among the fastest growing in the world, after decades of grim stagnation. This necessarily  comes at a cost to personal liberty, which will have negative repercussions on national creative output. But the prevailing goals of a society can, and must change with each successive generation. I’d like to conclude with a favorite quotation of mine from our second President of The United States Of America, John Adams: 

“The science of government is my duty to study, more than all other sciences; the arts of legislation and administration and negotiation ought to take the place of, indeed exclude, in a manner, all other arts. I must study politics and war, so that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. Our sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.”

I would say that Vietnam is in the second phase of Adams’ generational projection. Whereas the majority of American students at the school I am assigned to, have been comfortably in the third phase for generations. 

References:

Good reads. John Adam quotes https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/42294-the-science-of-government-it-is-my-duty-to-study

Factsmaps. PISA 2015 Worldwide Ranking – average score of math, science and reading. http://factsmaps.com/pisa-worldwide-ranking-average-score-of-math-science-reading/