A large number of Vietnamese and Chinese educational experts and university students gathered in Hanoi on December 11 to attend in the seminar entitled “Vietnam-China educational policies”.

Participants at the seminar, part of the Vietnam-China Friendship Festival 2010, discussed the issue of reforming educational and training programmes, ensuring teachers’ living conditions, as well as policies for disadvantaged areas.

Educational experts from China shared their experiences in mobilizing and controlling different sources for education.

Tran Thi Tam Dan, former Chairwoman of the National Assembly Committee on Culture, Education, Youth and Teenager, said Vietnam considers education a key national policy for socio-economic development. She said 97 percent of children attending primary school were studying in their age-appropriate grade, while the number for lower secondary school children is 83 percent and 80 percent for upper secondary school.

The figures illustrate Vietnam’s effort to build a learning society, Dan said.

The Vice Director of China’s Liuzhou Municipal Bureau of Education said China attaches great importance to developing education as it sees education as crucial for socio-economic development. Moreover, China has focused much on promoting universal secondary education and improving the quality of higher education.

The Chinese Government also offers free educational services for children in remote and disadvantaged areas with a focus on vocational training, said the Vice Director.

According to Chinese experts, the country not only attracts foreign students but also sends its students overseas and sets up Chinese schools abroad to promote its culture and language.

The seminar was an opportunities for educational administrators and practitioners to better understand each country’s educational policies and exchange experiences in developing the sector.