Vietnamese students interested in communism will now be provided with free classes that teach Marxism, Leninism and the teachings of Ho Chi Minh.
Vietnamese students interested in communism will now be provided with free classes that teach Marxism, Leninism and the teachings of Ho Chi Minh with the government hoping that it will revive interest in the ideology behind the country’s system of government. Philosophy students will not have to pay university tuition fees under a new scheme aimed at encouraging more people to embrace the unpopular classes.
"We have not received enough applications for these subjects," a professor of philosophy at a state university told AFP on condition of anonymity Thursday because he was not authorised to speak to the press.
"Students only apply for subjects which offer realistic prospects of helping them get a job," he added.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung signed a decree last month on the fee exemption, which will apply to students at state universities who agree to study the works of the approved pantheon of orthodox communist thinkers.
Fees for state universities in Vietnam average some five million dong ($240) per year but a small number of foreign-run universities charge far higher sums.
The quality of local universities can be lacking -- a recent education ministry survey said some 60 percent of recent graduates need retraining to meet the requirements of future employers -- and many Vietnamese parents send their children to study abroad at great expense.
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But it is unlikely to result in significantly more applications for the unpopular subjects, students said.
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"I will apply to study English and probably hotel management," the 17-year-old girl, who will take entrance exams to universities next summer, added.
Source-AFP