Sapa and Bat Xat districts in the remote Lao Cai province, are amongst the poorest in Vietnam. They are also poor in terms of educational attainment, particularly amongst women and ethnic minority groups.

Photo: Mark Cameron

Regionally, of people aged 15-25 years, more than 20 per cent are illiterate. Problems include poor teaching methods, run-down facilities, and a lack of awareness of the value of education.  

Through our Charity Program you have helped by raising £5,000 towards this project that Oxfam GB have undertaken, so thank you.

 

The Project

Good-quality pre-school, primary and lower secondary education will be made widely available to poor children – particularly girls and those from ethnic minority groups – across Lao Cai Province. Parents will also be encouraged to send their children to these ‘new’ schools. 

Our ‘Child-Centred Methodology’ (CCM) approach, based on active learning to engage children, has already helped improve primary school teaching in Sapa district. It will now begin to be integrated into primary schools across the province, and expanded into some pre-schools and lower secondary schools in Sapa.

 

 

Project Aims

The overall aim is to improve education for girls and minorities in Vietnam:

• to give boys and girls equal encouragement and educational opportunities

• to improve the quality of teaching by expanding the use of CCM across the province and reinforcing the educational gains already made in Sapa district

• to demonstrate to the government how CCM can be integrated across pre-primary, and lower secondary schools

• to encourage communities to send their children to school at the correct age

• to promote the teaching of Vietnamese as a second language at pre-primary level, to give ethnic minority children a head start and enable them to progress more easily

• support ethnic minority children, particularly girls, in lower secondary education, the level at which they are often withdrawn because of poverty

• found and support Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) and activities to build community-school links and encourage school attendance and enrolment at the appropriate age

• improve education management and monitoring by training and supporting head teachers and education officials.

 

To read more about the project please go to: Oxfam GB (.pdf)

Photos: Tran Viet Tuan 2006 unless otherwise stated

 

Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International.  Registered charity number 202918.

 

To find out more about Oxfam GB, please visit their website: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/index.html