Over 2.6M Young Vietnamese Have Not Finished Elementary School: Report

Over 10% of Vietnamese youths, or 2.6 million people, have not graduated from elementary school, according to a national report released by the Ministry of Home Affairs last week, state media reported. The report was unveiled during a conference on sharing international experience in making youth development policies, co-hosted by the ministry and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Vietnam. According to the report, which was released last year, Vietnam has a golden population structure, with the youth population accounting for 27.7% (as of 2014), the highest rate in its history. The literacy rate is also high across the board at 96.3% of the population. Among these, only 4.3%, or just over one million, have a university degree, while an alarming rate of 10.7%, or 2.6 million, have not passed elementary school. Youth who have only finished junior high school make up the largest group of 33.8%, or 8.5 million. The report also indicated a gap in educational levels across different regions, economic backgrounds and ethnicities. Vietnam is in the process of revising the 2005 Youth Law with more focus on the rights of young people. The first national report on Vietnamese youth provides lawmakers and policymakers with the necessary statistics and evaluation to build a youth development plan in the next years. (baobaovephapluat.vn Mar 7)