WB Allocates $95M to Train Skills for 80% of Teachers, Principals in Vietnam

The World Bank has launched the “Enhancing Teacher Education Program” costing $95 million that aims to boost Vietnam’s education reform efforts through the training and support for more than 600,000 general education teachers and principals across the country, which is nearly 80% of the total number here, according to the bank’s press release on June 29. Under the program which is financed from the WB’s concessional lending source International Development Association (IDA), Vietnamese teachers and principals will learn to master a new curriculum and pedagogical approaches while adapting their teaching practices to the needs of individual students. “Vietnam has achieved universal primary education, created better learning conditions in schools, and made considerable progress in expanding the education network,” said Achim Fock, Acting Country Director for the World Bank in Vietnam. “The country is now positioning its education system to provide the population with skills and competencies needed for greater value in tomorrow’s economy. With this program, we are proud to support Vietnam with addressing this next frontier of education development in Vietnam,” he added. The program will help establish a cadre of more than 28,000 Core Teachers and 4,000 Principal Advisors who will work at the school level and provide customized support and training to school staff. Placing these experts in schools to provide direct support to teachers and principals reflects international best practice. Ethnic minority and female teachers and principals will be encouraged to become Core Teachers and Principal Advisors. The Program will finance improvements to a select number of leading teacher training universities, which will serve as the stewards of the new continuous professional development system. These universities will train and support Core Teachers and Principals, conduct applied research, and analyze evaluations of teacher needs and the impact of continuous professional development interventions. (Worldbank.org June 29)