ADB funds VN’s secondary education development

VGP - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the State Bank of Việt Nam on December 22 inked a US $71-million loan agreement to support the Secondary Education Sector Development Program (SESPD).

December 23, 2009 8:54 AM GMT+7

SESDP is implemented by the Ministry of Education and Training till June 2015

According to the agreement, the ADB will offer a lending package of US $60 million, including a 24-year policy loan of US $20 million and a project loan of US $40 million for 32 years, both with 8 years in grace. The Government of Việt Nam will contribute the remaining US $11 million.

Under the context of Việt Nam’s rapid socio-economic development, it is critical to improve the quality of the Vietnamese labor force for sustainable economic development, said ADB Country Director Ayumi Konishi.

Enrolment rate of secondary schools has increased sharply in recent years, reaching over 90% at the junior level. However, there has been a big gap in education quality nationwide and inequality in access to education.

According to the ADB, the SESDP will solve secondary education problems by updating Việt Nam’s Secondary Education Sector Master Plan, setting up new national standards for secondary schools, upgrading curriculum, qualifying secondary teachers, founding a national accreditation board and a new assessment system, and expanding continuing education.

By Ngọc Vân