The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published the biggest ever global school rankings, in which Vietnam ranks 12th.

Asian countries are in the top five places, with Singapore heading the table, followed by Hong Kong.

The ranking was made based on maths and science and on students aged 15.

The 12th position allows Vietnam, a low average country with the annual income per capita of less than $2,000, stand above many developed countries in the Europe and the US.

Nguyen The Dai, head of the Education Council and headmaster of the Hanoi Academy Secondary School, commented that Vietnam was well known in the world as an intelligent nation.

This explains why Vietnamese students always win high prizes at the international competitions and the total scores they get allow Vietnam to list itself among the top 10 competition teams in the world. 

He noted that Vietnamese are good at natural sciences – math, physics, chemistry and biology, and at sports that require finesse and intelligence. Meanwhile, Vietnamese educators have good experiences in teaching students and preparing them for the competitions.

Dai believes the ranking by OECD can truly reflect the quality of the teaching and learning in Vietnam. 

In principle, the qualification of students shows the quality of education. However, many Vietnamese parents are doubtful about the OECD’s ranking, because they believe Vietnam’s education is “full of defects”.

“If referring to OECD’s ranking, Vietnamese students are very good and so is Vietnamese education. But why do Vietnamese parents still want to send their children to schools in Europe and the US, the countries which are below Vietnam in the ranking?” asked Nguyen Hoang Mai, a parent in Hanoi.

Mai, an office worker, at first, decided to send her son to a school in the US after he finished high school in Vietnam. However, she changed her mind and decided that her son needs to study at a foreign school right after he finishes the ninth grade.

“I believe that the sooner he can approach western education, the bigger opportunities he will get,” she said.

Dai said that the high achievements Vietnamese students win at international competitions can show the capacity and aptitude of excellent students in some learning subjects, but they do not show the comprehensive ability of students and the quality of the whole educational system.

“It is necessary to reform  Vietnamese education so that it can adapt to the new circumstances of global integration,” he said.