Viet Nam’s Ministry of Education and Training is gathering opinions on a draft plan on a new curriculum with major changes to the country’s current education system.

Students in a class at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Education Tuoi Tre

According to the ministry, the new program dedicated to basic education, including 12 years, aims to help students improve their own ability, harmoniously develop their physical and mental characteristics, become active learners, have good virtues and necessary skills to be responsible citizens, hard-working, cultured and creative workers in the future.

Currently, basic education in Viet Nam comprises five years of elementary school, four years of middle school, and three years of high school.

Instead of primarily passing knowledge on to students like before, teaching in the new program will focus on forming and developing the ability and virtues of learners, the ministry said.

Pursuant to the new curriculum which is expected to be in place in the academic year of 2018-19, the current 12-year school system will be divided into two stages, including basic education and career orientation.

The basic stage includes elementary and middle school while high school will be devoted to career orientation.

Moreover, students will not be required to study all the subjects like before.

There will be 7-8 compulsory subjects in the basic education period and four in the other stage.

Students will have chances to choose to study some of the remaining subjects, depending on their interest in future careers.

In addition, some traditional subjects will be combined to make integrated ones to be included in the new curriculum.

Once the program is approved, the Ministry of Education and Training will start preparing new textbooks.

(Source: Tuoi Tre News)