Vietnam Continues $93M ADB-funded Education Project in Remote Areas

Vietnam will continue a $93-million education project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the most disadvantaged children in remote areas in the 2015-2021 period. With 86% of the investment financed by the ADB, the project will focus on the upgrade of facilities and teaching aids for high schools in the mountainous northern provinces, Central Highlands provinces, Mekong delta, and the central coastal region. It will also focus on improving teachers’ qualifications and compiling textbooks which highlight culture of ethnic people. Eiko Izawa, senior education specialist at the ADB, said that the project will help increase rate of high school children in the most difficult areas to 95% as targeted by the Vietnamese government. Vietnam is criticized for wide gap in education among regions, mostly children living in mountainous areas and of ethnic groups. Poor education has largely limited development opportunities of children in remote areas, affecting their lifetime, local experts said. (Giaoducthoidai.vn July 27)