Question

When was the Tonkin free school started?
A. In 1917
B. In 1907
C.In 1887
D. In 1897

Answer 1

Hint: The Tonkin free school was a historically important school. It only existed for a very limited period of time. The institution was established in Hanoi.

Complete answer: In 1907 the Tonkin Free School was established in Vietnam. Luong Van Can with the help of other nationalists like Phan Bo Chao,Phan Chu Trinh founded the school. The school became a hotbed of anti French agitation. The aim of creating this school was to reject the ideas of Confucianism and adopt western values. It wanted to educate the Vietnamese. It taught lessons in French, science and hygiene. The Vietnamese also had to look modern by keeping short hair. The school provided free education to anyone who wanted to learn modern western education. The classes were held in the evening. It promoted Vietnamese alphabet script writing instead of classical Chinese. It promoted the Vietnamese language as a medium of instruction. Under the leadership of Chao the people protested in order to demand the reduction of high taxes. The agitators were arrested and condemned to death. When Chao went to Japan in 1905, he wanted to take the help of the Japanese to free Vietnam from the French.

Hence, Option B is the correct answer.

Note: The Tonkin school could only legally continue for some months. The French authorities closed it down. The staff and teachers were harassed by the police. In Annam a rebellion was held in which the French soldiers were poisoned. This incident was blamed upon the school.