Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

After access: Divergent learning profiles in Vietnam and India

  • Open File
  • Published:
PROSPECTS Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In recent decades, both India and Vietnam have successfully expanded access to schooling to near-universal levels and have shifted their focus to quality-oriented policy reform. Yet, international and national evidence shows strongly contrasting learning profiles for children within the two systems. Simple indicators of numeracy suggest similar learning levels in both countries for 5-year-olds, but data suggest that, by the time they are 15, Vietnamese pupils outperform those in many OECD countries, while many pupils in India fail to master even the most basic skills. This article examines evidence from the Young Lives longitudinal surveys for Vietnam and the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on the diverging learning profiles of children in the light of their socioeconomic, cultural, and educational contexts. It considers various explanations for this divergence, including recent education policies, and highlights potential areas for cross-country policy learning.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.

References

  • ASER (2014). Annual status of education report (rural) 2013. http://img.asercentre.org/docs/Publications/ASER/Reports/ASER_2013/ASER2013_reportsections/aser2013fullreportenglish.pdf.

  • Attfield, I., & Vu, B. T. (2013). A rising tide of primary school standards: The role of data systems in improving equitable access for all to quality education in Vietnam. International Journal of Educational Development, 33(1), 74–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Banerjee, A. V., & Duflo, E. (2011). Poor economics: A radical rethinking of the way to fight global poverty. New York: Public Affairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beatty, A., & Pritchett, L. (2012). From schooling goals to learning goals. How fast can student learning improve? Policy paper no. 12. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development.

  • Boyden, J., & James, Z. (2014). Schooling, childhood poverty and international development: Choices and challenges in a longitudinal study. Oxford Review of Education, 40(1), 10–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carr-Hill, R. A. (2011). A large-scale donor attempt to improve educational status of the poor and household income distribution: The experience of PEDC in Vietnam. International Journal of Educational Development, 31(3), 251–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clemens, M. (2004). The long walk to school: International education goals in historical perspective. Working paper no. 37. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development.

  • Cueto, S., Leon, J., Guerrero, G., & Munoz, I. (2009). Psychometric characteristics of cognitive development and achievement instruments in round 2 of young lives. Technical note no. 15. Oxford: Young Lives.

  • Das, J., & Zajonc, T. (2008). India shining and Bharat drowning: Comparing two Indian states to the worldwide distribution in mathematics achievement. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dercon, S., & Singh, A. (2013). From nutrition to aspirations and self-efficacy: Gender bias over time among children in four countries. World Development, 45, 31–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dyer, C. (2000). Operation blackboard: Policy implementation in Indian elementary education. Oxford: Symposium Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ed.CIL [Educational Consultants India Limited] (2009). Study of student’s attendance in primary and upper primary schools. Abridged report. New Delhi: Ed.CIL Research, Evaluation and Studies Unit Technical Support Group.

  • Galab, S., Vennam, U., Komanduri, A., Benny, L., & Georgiadis, A. (2013). The impact of parental aspirations on private school enrolment: Evidence from Andhra Pradesh, India. Working paper no. 97. Oxford: Young Lives.

  • Glewwe, P., Hanushek, E. A., Humpage, S. D., & Ravina, R. (2011). School resources and educational outcomes in developing countries: A review of the literature from 1990 to 2010. Working paper 17554. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.

  • GoI [Government of India] (1986). National policy on education 1986: Programme of action. New Delhi: Government of India.

    Google Scholar 

  • GoI (2011). India human development report. Institute of Applied Manpower Research, Planning Commission. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

  • GoI (2012). Economic survey 2011–12. (Table A122). New Delhi: Ministry of Finance.

  • GoI (2014a). General and census commissioner population totals. Office of the registrar. http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_data_products_andhra.html.

  • GoI (2014b). Net state domestic product data. Planning commission. http://planningcommission.nic.in/data/datatable/0814/table_160.pdf.

  • Hannum, E., & Buchmann, C. (2005). Global educational expansion and socio-economic development: An assessment of findings from the social sciences. World Development, 33(3), 333–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanushek, E., & Woessman, L. (2008). The role of cognitive skills in economic development. Journal of Economic Literature, 46(3), 607–668.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, S., & Chalaux, T. (2011). Improving access and quality in the Indian education system. Working paper no. 885. Paris: OECD.

  • Kingdon, G. (1996). The quality and efficiency of private and public education: A case study of urban India. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 58(1), 57–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kingdon, G., & Muzammil, M. (2008). A political economy of education in India: The case of Uttar Pradesh. Oxford Development Studies, 37(2), 123–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kremer, M., Muralidharan, K., Chaudhury, N., Hammer, J., & Rogers, F. (2005). Teacher absence in India: A snapshot. Journal of the European Economic Association, 3(2–3), 658–667.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Little, A. (2010). Access to elementary education in India: Politics, policies and progress. Consortium for research on educational access transitions and equity (CREATE) pathways to access research monograph 44. Falmer, UK: University of Sussex.

  • London, J. (2011). Education in Vietnam: Historical roots, recent trends. In J. D. London (Ed.), Education in Vietnam (pp. 1–56). Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mehrotra, S. (2012). The cost and financing of the right to education in India: Can we fill the financing gap? International Journal of Educational Development, 32(1), 65–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NCERT [National Council of Educational Research and Training] (2005). National curriculum framework 2005. New Delhi: NCERT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noronha, C., & Srivastava, P. (2013). India’s right to education act: Household experiences and private school responses. Working paper no. 53. PERI [Privatization in Education Research Initiative]. London: Open Society Foundations.

  • NUEPA [National University of Educational Planning and Administration] (2014). Elementary education in India: Where do we stand? State report cards 2013–14. New Delhi: NUEPA.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD [Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development] (2013a). PISA 2012 results in focus: What 15-year-olds know and what they can do with what they know. Paris: OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD (2013b). PISA 2012 results: What makes schools successful? Resources, policies and practices (Vol. 4). Paris: OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • PROBE [Public Report on Basic Education] (1999). Public report on basic education in India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rolleston, C. (2014). Learning profiles and the “skills gap” in four developing countries: A comparative analysis of schooling and skills development. Oxford Review of Education, 40(1), 132–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rolleston, C., James, Z., Pasquier-Doumer, L., & Tam, T. N. T. M. (2013). Making progress: Report of the Young Lives school survey in Vietnam. Working paper no 100. Oxford: Young Lives.

  • Singh, A. (2013). Size and sources of the private school premium in test scores in India. Working paper no. 98. Oxford: Young Lives.

  • Singh, A. (2014). Emergence and evolution of learning gaps across countries: Linked panel evidence from Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. Working paper no. 28. Oxford: Centre for the Study of African Economies University of Oxford.

  • UIS (2014b). Data centre: Population data. http://data.uis.unesco.org.

  • UIS [UNESCO Institute of Statistics] (2014a). Data centre: School life-expectancy data. http://data.uis.unesco.org.

  • UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] (2011). Social services for human development: Vietnam human development report 2011. Hanoi: UNDP.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO (2014). Implications for a renewed agenda for teachers and quality education. Global monitoring report 2013/2014. Paris: UNESCO Institute for Statistics and Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution.

  • UNESCO IBE [International Bureau of Education] (2011). World data on education. 7th ed., 2010/11. Geneva: UNESCO IBE. http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/Viet_Nam.pdf.

  • Venkatanarayana, M. (2012). Demographic transition in Andhra Pradesh: Dividend or burden? Paper no. 48326. Centre for Economics and Social Studies, Hyderabad, Munich Personal Research Papers in Economics Archive [MPRA].

  • Woodhead, M., Frost, M., & James, Z. (2013). Does growth in private schooling contribute to education for all? Evidence from a longitudinal, two-cohort study in Andhra Pradesh, India. International Journal of Educational Development, 33(1), 65–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2004). Vietnam reading and mathematics assessment study (Vol. 1). Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2011). Viet Nam high quality education for all by 2020. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2014). World development indicators. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Education, University of London, 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AL, UK

    Caine Rolleston

  2. Oxford Department of International Development, University of Oxford, 3 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TB, UK

    Zoe James

Authors
  1. Caine Rolleston
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zoe James
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Caine Rolleston.

Additional information

In this paper, we draw on analyses conducted for a background paper prepared for the 2013–14 UNESCO Education for All Global Monitoring Report, Teaching and Learning: Achieving Quality for All.

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rolleston, C., James, Z. After access: Divergent learning profiles in Vietnam and India. Prospects 45, 285–303 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-015-9361-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-015-9361-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation