Vietnam: What is formal education?

What is formal education?

Pursuant to Clause 1, Article 5 of the Law on Education 2019, it is defined as follows:

Definitions

In this Law, the following terms are understood as follows:

1. formal education is education through a course in an educational institution to implement a specific educational program, established according to the objectives of educational levels and training qualifications, and is awarded diplomas of the national education system.

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Thus, according to the above regulations, formal education is education through a course in an educational institution to implement a specific educational program.

Additionally, formal education is established according to the objectives of educational levels, training qualifications, and is granted diplomas of the national education system.

Vietnam: What is formal education? (Image from Internet)

Is formal education part of the national educational system in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Clause 1, Article 6 of the Law on Education 2019, on the national education system in Vietnam:

National Education System

1. The national education system is an open, interconnected system comprising formal education and continuing education.

2. The educational levels and training qualifications of the national education system include:

a) Early childhood education including nursery and kindergarten education;

b) General education including primary education, lower secondary education, and upper secondary education;

c) Vocational education training for primary, intermediate, college levels, and other vocational training programs;

d) Higher education training for undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels.

3. The Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam decides to approve the structural framework of the national education system and the national qualification framework of Vietnam; specifies training duration, standards for each training qualification, and minimum study load for vocational education and higher education levels.

4. The Minister of Education and Training and the Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, within their respective tasks and powers, specify entry thresholds for college, university levels in teacher training and health fields.

The national education system is an open, interconnected system comprising formal education and continuing education.

Thus, according to these regulations, formal education is part of the national education system.

What requirements must the educational programmes in Vietnam fulfill?

Pursuant to the provisions of Article 8 of the Law on Education 2019, the educational program in Vietnam must fulfill the following requirements:

- The educational program reflects educational objectives; stipulates knowledge standards, skills, requirements to achieve for the qualities and capacities of learners; scope and structure of educational content; methods and forms of organizing educational activities; and ways to evaluate educational results for each subject in each grade, each educational level, or subjects, modules, fields of study for each training qualification.

- The educational program must ensure scientific and practical characteristics; continuity and connection among educational levels and training qualifications; facilitate streamlining, transitions among training qualifications, fields of study, and forms of education within the national education system to enable localities and educational institutions to proactively implement suitable educational plans; meet gender equality goals and international integration requirements. The educational program is the basis for ensuring comprehensive educational quality.

- Knowledge standards, skills, requirements to achieve for the qualities and capacities of learners stipulated in the educational program must be concretized into textbooks for general education; coursebooks and teaching materials for vocational education, higher education. Textbooks, coursebooks, and teaching materials must meet the requirements for educational methods.

- The educational program is organized and implemented according to the school year for early childhood education and general education; according to academic year or modular or credit-based accumulation or a combination of credits and academic year for vocational education, higher education.

The academic results of subjects or credits, modules that learners accumulate while following one educational program are recognized for consideration of value conversion to corresponding subjects or credits, modules in another educational program when learners change field of study, form of study, or pursue a higher educational level or training qualification.

- The Minister of Education and Training and the Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, within their respective tasks and powers, prescribe the implementation of the educational program and the recognition of value conversion of academic results in training different levels of higher education, vocational education.