AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MINISTER OF EDUCATION ON U.S.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002944 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EAID OEXC SCUL PREL PGOV VM SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MINISTER OF EDUCATION ON U.S. VISIT AND PEACE CORPS SENSITIVE - DO NOT POST ON INTERNET ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Ambassador Marine had his first official meeting with Minister of Education and Training Dr. Nguyen Thien Nhan on November 30. The meeting took place days before Dr. Nhan's first visit as Minister to the United States on what his staff is calling a "study tour." Minster Nhan expressed interest in examining various aspects of the U.S. higher education system for possible implementation in Vietnam. He has a number of innovative ideas for dramatically updating and upgrading the Vietnamese educational system, including increased competition and introduction of education management protocols. In response to the Ambassador's push for the conclusion of a Peace Corps country agreement, Minister Nhan stated that his Ministry is not the agency making the key decisions on the program but that he would report the Ambassador's views and work with other agencies to respond. End Summary. EDUCATION INNOVATIONS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Dr. Nguyen Thien Nhan, who assumed the position of Minister of Education and Training in July 2006, has a strong U.S. academic background. In 1995, he received a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Oregon, which he attended on a Fulbright scholarship, and since has participated in three academic programs at Harvard. A southerner, Nhan was chosen for his new position with a mandate to clean up the Ministry in the wake of the firing of his predecessor. Minister Nhan is known as dynamic and interested in reform, and outlined to the Ambassador fairly robust ideas for upgrading the moribund Vietnamese educational system at all levels. He is going to the United States as the head of an inter-agency GVN commission to study the establishment of a "world-class university" in Vietnam and will visit several top-tier universities. He indicated to the Ambassador that he also wants to develop strategies for improving the quality of all universities in Vietnam. The Minister cited excellent cooperation with the Embassy and with the Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF),which is the primary organizer of his trip to the United States. ¶3. (SBU) Nhan suggested that Vietnam needed 20,000 more PhDs than it currently has in order to support the educational system it needs. His approach to creating this new cadre of educators includes sending more candidates to study in the United States, working with academic organizations (including VEF) to create a "Pre-Doctoral Center" where Vietnamese candidates might prepare themselves more adequately for doctoral programs in the United States, and creating U.S.-Vietnamese university partnerships where Vietnamese scholars can receive the kind of innovative training and education they would need to transform Vietnam's academic institutions. He hopes to send 50 to 60 PhD candidates to the United States each year for the next ten years as the foundation for this new group of educators. ¶4. (SBU) The Ambassador stressed that, to attract talent back to Vietnam, Vietnamese institutions will need to be flexible enough to allow returning scholars to enact real change. He also noted that there are not enough universities currently operating in Vietnam to accommodate this new corps of scholars and meet the growing demand for higher education, and that private academic investment and open competition will be critical to creating new schools and improving existing ones. He noted that he recently visited the northeastern city of Haiphong and saw a private university which appeared to be providing good education at reasonably low prices, a potential model for private education. ¶5. (SBU) The Minister agreed that a fundamental change of philosophy was necessary to revamp the country's universities. Included in this change would be a new approach to private and public institutions. Fifteen percent of Vietnamese students already attend private universities, a number the Minister expects to rise to 40 percent by 2015. The current government policies, however, require that students at private universities pay for 100 percent of their education, while students at public schools pay for 50 percent or less. Under his revamped program, the Minister anticipates that "the funding will follow the student by 2015, rather than the institution," thereby automatically requiring universities to compete for enrollment. His goal, he said, was to make private and public institutions equally strong. He also cited low pay for teachers and said that the Ministry goal was to raise teachers' pay by 80 percent in the next five to ten years, making this important career a more desirable and competitive one. ¶6. (U) The Ambassador mentioned the need to enhance English language training at all levels of schooling, and the Minister agreed that this was critical. English training already begins in grade three in most elementary schools, the Minister said, with some pilot programs introducing the language in the first grade. He acknowledged that these programs are hampered by a lack of teachers with English language skills. HANOI 00002944 002 OF 002 ¶7. (SBU) The Minister noted several areas of particular interest which he plans to investigate during his U.S. visit. The first is developing the ability to adequately assess the quality of Vietnamese universities. He hopes to discuss quality criteria with his U.S. interlocutors, and to find a way to develop usable criteria for Vietnam. He is also extremely interested in the U.S. university and college ranking system and is keen to develop a similar system in Vietnam. The Ambassador explained that, in the United States, these rankings are developed by academic or private organizations, not the government, and that they were also specific to different types of academic institutions. Finally, the Minister noted that there is no tradition in Vietnam of "educational management," and he hopes to discuss possibilities for partnerships in the United States to train candidates for masters or doctorates in education. WORLD AIDS DAY -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that this week he participated in events leading up to World AIDS Day on December 1. He reminded the Minister of the myriad efforts of PEPFAR in Vietnam and stressed that education in schools at all levels is critical to stemming the rise in AIDS, as well as the importance of addressing issues of stigmatization and discrimination in schools. The Minister responded very positively that there was an urgent need for AIDS education. He welcomed the Ambassador's offer of cooperation and suggested setting up a working group to develop supplemental curriculum modules, tailored to the different grade levels that could be used by schools throughout Vietnam. The Ambassador responded that he would be happy to work with the Ministry, perhaps along with UN staff, to develop this initiative. PEACE CORPS -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Lastly, the Ambassador raised the issue of the potential Vietnam Peace Corps program, stating that both governments have approved of the initiative, and had hoped to be able to announce a Peace Corps agreement during President George W. Bush's visit. Unfortunately, the two sides had not been ready to do so because the details of the program had not been resolved. The Ambassador noted that he understands that the Prime Minister has designated MOET as the lead Vietnam government agency for the program. He added that Peace Corps volunteers traditionally work in other sectors as well as English-language education, including business, health, and environment, that the United States would prefer to have volunteers working in a greater geographic spread than just Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. We would also like to quickly ramp up the program to approximately 40 volunteers or more on the ground over the initial years of the program. ¶10. (SBU) The Ambassador added that both sides now need to put together a country agreement and thanked the Minister for the draft agreement that MOET had provided. The Embassy had forwarded this text to the Peace Corps for review. He stressed that questions regarding the status and number of program staff are still need to be resolved. The Ambassador suggested that the two sides sit down at the working level to talk through the remaining differences soon so that the program will still have a chance to start at the beginning of the next academic year. This lead time will be necessary in order for the Peace Corps to be able to recruit and train volunteers. ¶11. (SBU) Minister Nhan agreed that that MOET will be the Vietnam agency in charge of the program if approval is given. MOET is not the agency, however, making the key decisions on the program, he added. Nhan said he would take account of the Ambassador's views and work with other agencies to respond. While it is true that the United States and Vietnam do agree in principle on the benefit of establishing a Peace Corps program, Nhan said, the details must be worked out to everyone's satisfaction first. ¶12. (SBU) From this meeting and via other contacts, we understand that Minister Nhan is uncomfortable with the prospect of directly engaging with the Peace Corps in Washington on this trip. This does not mean that it should not be raised by Minister Nhan's interlocutors during his talks in Washington. In referring to "other agencies," Nhan is probably making reference to the Office of Government (aka the Prime Minister's Office) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will continue to work with all GVN players to narrow differences and help move this important initiative forward. MARINE