MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2001
Vietnam sets goal of compulsory education by 2010
HANOI: The northern Vietnamese port city of Haiphong and the northern province of Ha Tay have instituted compulsory junior high school education, bringing the number of cities and provinces that have achieved that goal to four, an official said Monday.
The government issued a decree last week setting a target of 2010 for compulsory secondary school education in all of Vietnam's 61 cities and provinces, said the official of the Ministry of Education and Training.
All cities and provinces achieved compulsory elementary school education last year.
Hanoi, the capital, began compulsory junior high school education in 1999 and the central city of Danang implemented it in July this year, the official said.
To achieve the target, a city or province must require that all children enroll in junior high school, which begins in sixth grade and ends in ninth grade, and at least 80 percent must graduate, he said.
Vietnam, with a population of 79 million, is spending more than 15 percent of its budget on education. ( AP )
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