School dropout rate highest in region

(06-11-2008)

HCM CITY — Known until recently for its high literacy levels, Viet Nam now records the highest dropout rate in Southeast Asia, and is ranked 79th among 129 countries on the Education for All Development Index (EDI).

The Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report 2008 released by UNESCO, also notes that Viet Nam and three other countries in the region – Brunei, Myanmar and the Philippines – will not achieve 100 per cent adult literacy by 2015.

The EDI is based on four EFA goals including universal primary education, adult literacy, quality of education and gender parity.

According to the report, the number of dropout students has sharply increased nationwide, up by one million over the last six years, the highest in Southeast Asia.

The Philippines, with 648,000 dropouts, was second in the region, followed by Myanmar with 487,000, Thailand with 419,000 and Indonesia with 414,000.

Nguyen Vinh Hien, deputy minister of Education and Training, said Viet Nam would give priority to increasing the national budget for education development, and improving the quality of education in rural and ethnic minority areas, frontier regions and outlying islands.

The country would also expand continuing education and community education centres to encourage all Vietnamese citizens to complete their schooling, he added. — VNS