Why shouldn't we delay the implementation of 9 years of compulsory education?

The fact that over 500,000 young people aged 17-19 have not completed lower secondary education has sounded an alarm about the consequences of not yet expanding compulsory education to nine years until the end of lower secondary school.

Nine years of compulsory education was established in Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW. However, at the time of this revision of the Education Law, the policy still only extends to the primary school level.

C. OPEN TO EXPANSION POLICY, BUT THE LAW REMAINS "STANDING STILL"

Compulsory education is the foundation for building a learning society and sustainable development. Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW dated November 4, 2013, on fundamental and comprehensive reform of education and training, affirms the goal: "Improving the quality of universal education and implementing 9 years of compulsory education from after 2020." Conclusion No. 91-KL/TW dated August 12, 2024, of the Politburo further affirms "implementing 9 years of compulsory education." This is the minimum level of education that citizens need to have to participate in labor, vocational training, high school education, and access basic skills in modern society.

Nine years of compulsory education, up to the end of lower secondary school, is an urgent necessity.

PHOTO: NGOC DUONG

However, after much debate, the 2019 Education Law only stipulates compulsory education for primary school. Specifically, Article 14 of this law states: Primary education is compulsory education. The State implements universal preschool education for 5-year-old children and universal lower secondary education. The State is responsible for implementing compulsory education nationwide, deciding on the plan, and ensuring the conditions for implementing universal education.

According to the draft amendment to the Education Law currently being reviewed by the Ministry of Education and Training, Article 14 still affirms that primary education is compulsory education. The State implements universal preschool education for children aged 3-5 and universal lower secondary education. The State is responsible for implementing compulsory education nationwide, deciding on the plan, and ensuring the conditions for its implementation. The Government will provide detailed regulations on this matter.

Thus, compared to the current law, this draft only expands the scope of preschool education to include children aged 3-5, aiming to ensure that most Vietnamese children attend preschool. At the same time, the Government will issue a decree regulating universal preschool education and compulsory education.

However, the fact that GDP remains "stagnant" goes against the policy and fails to keep up with the general trend of the world, which has been implementing GDP for 9-12 years.

IMPORTANT RESULTS OF UNIVERSAL EDUCATION

It should be noted that, over the past two decades, Vietnam has achieved many outstanding accomplishments in universal primary and lower secondary education. According to data published by the General Statistics Office in 2024, the average number of years of schooling in Vietnam increased from 9 to 9.6 years during the period 2019-2024, helping Vietnam complete universal primary education and approach universal lower secondary education. The average primary school enrollment rate is 98.7% - a high rate that has remained almost unchanged over the years. This rate is 95.6% for lower secondary education and 79.9% for upper secondary education.

The school system has been expanded to communes, villages, and hamlets, creating favorable conditions for students in remote areas to attend school conveniently. The dropout rate is decreasing. This is a remarkable achievement, demonstrating the strong commitment of the State to fulfilling children's right to education.

However, once universal education has reached a certain point, the next requirement is to ensure that all children receive at least nine years of schooling, i.e., complete the lower secondary education program.

CONSEQUENCES OF NOT IMPLEMENTING 9 YEARS OF COMPULSORY EDUCATION

Vietnam has not yet implemented 9 years of compulsory education due to several reasons. First, there are legal barriers stemming from the 2013 Constitution and the current Education Law, which only stipulate primary education as compulsory education, making it difficult to compel citizens to complete grade 9.

Furthermore, educational conditions are uneven. In remote areas and ethnic minority regions, facilities and teaching staff are still insufficient to ensure that all children receive a full nine years of education. The costs of food, accommodation, transportation, textbooks, and other support remain a burden for many disadvantaged families. Awareness of the importance of completing lower secondary education is limited in some mountainous and ethnic minority areas; many families send their children to work early to help support the family, or in some cases, child marriage occurs.

Furthermore, the lack of a sufficiently strong legal framework, along with limited monitoring and enforcement measures, also makes the implementation of the policy on compulsory education difficult.

The failure to implement the 9-year Equal Education Program has been causing many worrying consequences. A summary report on the state of education in Vietnam in 2022 by the UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Office analyzed the learning and equity aspects for children and women in Vietnam, showing that 70,700 children aged 13-15 had not completed primary school, 508,100 young people aged 17-19 had not completed lower secondary school, and 1,562,400 young people aged 20-22 had not completed upper secondary school.

Some localities have a high percentage of young people who have not completed lower secondary education, such as the Central Highlands (32%), the Mekong Delta (25%), and the Southeast region (19%). Citizens who do not complete lower secondary education will have difficulty accessing vocational education, job opportunities, and personal development, affecting the sustainable development of the nation. A segment of young people with low education levels are at risk of engaging in social vices.

If this situation is allowed to continue, it will undermine Vietnam's sustainable development efforts and degrade the quality of its human resources – a key factor in the era of innovation, digital transformation, and international integration.

Nine years of compulsory education is not only a sound policy but also an urgent necessity. A nation cannot achieve sustainable development if its citizens lack a basic education foundation. Therefore, despite many obstacles, it is time for us to make a political and legal commitment and implement a strong education policy to achieve the equivalent of nine years of compulsory education. Once the Constitution is amended, we will officially implement nine years of compulsory education, like many countries around the world.

Vietnam has the capacity to implement the Global Gender Equality Program within 9 years.

First of all, the Party and the State have been implementing many policies to waive or reduce tuition fees and provide learning support for students nationwide. On February 28, 2025, the Politburo decided on the policy of waiving tuition fees for all public preschool and primary school students and providing tuition support for students in private schools nationwide starting from the 2025-2026 school year. The tuition fee waiver will be fully legalized to avoid financial pressure that could force children to drop out of school.

Furthermore, the education system has expanded significantly, with many localities completing the network of schools down to the commune, and even village, levels; the number and quality of teachers have improved. The quality and effectiveness of the reformed general education curriculum are increasingly being affirmed.

These are the ripe conditions for implementing a 9-year compulsory education system. According to education experts, even without amending the Constitution, administrative and policy measures can still be implemented to fulfill commitments equivalent to a 9-year compulsory education system. When drafting sub-legal documents such as decrees and circulars, it is entirely possible to stipulate the responsibilities of parents, guardians, and the community in ensuring that children complete grade 9.

In addition, there needs to be a specific monitoring mechanism for local areas (wards, communes, special zones) with high dropout rates. Along with that, state and local policies should encourage students to pursue further education after primary school.

The media needs to get strongly involved, making completing lower secondary education a social norm, not just an individual obligation; moving towards a situation where businesses do not hire workers who have not completed lower secondary education.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giao-duc-bat-buoc-9-nam-vi-sao-khong-nen-cham-tre-185250522215741927.htm