Question

Describe any three problems faced by the French in the sphere of education in Vietnam.

Answer 1

Hint: Vietnamese nationalists rejected the ‘civilizing mission’ of colonial education. The Vietnamese were deeply influenced by the Chinese culture. They criticized the new curriculum in the schools.

Complete answer: For France, colonies were important as they were the medium to extract natural resources and other essential goods. Also, economic exploitation was not only the key feature of French colonization but they also wanted to bring modern education to Vietnam. By the end of 1880s, the French captured a major part of the country.

The following problems were faced by the French in the sphere of education in Vietnam:-
1. To dismantle the traditional education system, the French established schools for the Vietnamese. But the elites or the rich people of Vietnam were deeply influenced by the Chinese culture and Chinese was used as a language by them. It became a problem for the French.
2. In French schools, a new curriculum was introduced. This curriculum was not followed by the teachers and students. It also became very hard to control what was taught as the Vietnamese teachers were more engaged in lower classes.
3. In 1926, a native girl was asked to move back and allow a French kid to take the front bench. When she refused, the Principal, who was French expelled her. This led to an outbreak of a major protest in the Saigon Native Girls School.

Note: To acquire modern education, they were moving out of the country and Japan provided a perfect environment. This movement came to be known as The Go East Movement.