Inmates in Vietnam will study culture one day per week

Inmates in Vietnam will study culture one day per week (Illustration image)

Article 13 of Decree 133/2020/ND-CP stipulates that detention facilities for inmates shall organize literacy eradication programs for inmates who are illiterate or have relapsed into illiteracy. For inmates under 18 years old who are illiterate or have not completed primary education in Vietnam, it is mandatory to implement primary education. For those who have not completed secondary education, based on the inmate's records and transcripts, appropriate secondary continuous education programs should be organized according to the facility's conditions. Inmates are encouraged to self-study, and foreign inmates or ethnic minorities who do not speak Vietnamese are encouraged to study the Vietnamese language on their own. Inmates who are studying and complete their prison sentences are allowed to retain their study results so they can continue at national education system institutions in Vietnam.

Depending on the program, textbooks and learning materials suitable for teaching and learning as prescribed and guided by the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam shall be used. The schedule for cultural education for inmates is arranged one day a week, as decided by the head of the inmate detention facility, excluding Sundays, holidays, and Tet. Detention facilities shall organize cultural classes for inmates and teach Vietnamese to those who do not speak Vietnamese (standard Vietnamese). The head of the detention facility shall decide the form, schedule, and teaching methods based on the actual situation and the inmates' cognitive abilities. The state encourages the families of inmates, agencies, organizations, and individuals to support textbooks, notebooks, learning materials, books, newspapers, physical education and sports equipment, cultural activities, and recreational tools for inmates, provided such support complies with relevant legal regulations.

Note: Teachers who teach inmates are officers and soldiers of inmate detention facilities or local educational institutions. Inmates who have shown progress, possess educational qualifications, have good personal backgrounds, and are not ringleaders or masterminds, professional criminals, hooligans, aggressive individuals, infectious disease carriers, drug addicts, and have not committed crimes against national security, can assist officers and soldiers in teaching literacy eradication programs for inmates in Vietnam.

Additionally, Departments of Education and Training, local Education Divisions where inmate detention facilities are located shall coordinate in implementing, appointing teachers to teach inmates, manage and direct the implementation of cultural education programs, organize and recognize the completion of literacy eradication programs, primary education, and issue secondary education graduation certificates for inmates, and organize professional and pedagogical training for officers teaching inmates. Detention facilities shall arrange halls and classrooms to ensure the teaching and learning activities for inmates in Vietnam.

Details can be found in Decree 133/2020/ND-CP, which comes into force in Vietnam from December 25, 2020.

Le Vy

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