1. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Efforts to Give Back:
The Role of School Libraries in
Vietnam Education
Hands on Literacy Conference
Singapore – November 13, 2010
Presented by Nguyen Tan Thanh Truc (MLIS),
Room to Read Vietnam
2. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Presentation Overview
• Barriers to establishing a reading culture
in Vietnam
• Room to Read’s current efforts to address
these barriers
• Moving forward – Next Steps
3. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
What are the barriers
to establishing a
reading culture
in Vietnam?
4. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Barrier #1 – Primary Education System: General
• There is no common message between educators and the
government authority to value libraries as “the heart of the school
and community.”
• Existing curriculum gives no time for free reading activities, and
relies heavily on textbooks instead.
• Educators lack knowledge of children’s literature and how to select
appropriate books for children to read.
• No budget and few options available when selecting books for
school library
• High student/teacher ratio in classrooms
• Half-day schooling
Result:
School libraries are not
sufficiently valued in Vietnam.
5. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Barrier #1 – Primary Education System: School Libraries
There are many school libraries in Vietnam’s Education
System:
Regions Total # of
schools
Total # of school
libraries/book corners
% of schools with
libraries/book
corners
North 14,272 12,927 90.6%
Middle 3,272 2,839 86.8%
South 9,997 8,980 89.9%
TOTAL 27,541 24,746 89.9%
However, the quality and use of these school libraries
is questionable.
6. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Barrier #1 – Primary Education System: School Libraries – cont.
Current school libraries lack:
• Clear definition of purpose, roles and functions
• Quality materials and infrastructure, including space and
furniture
• Trained librarians – initial training and ongoing support:
• Library work often falls to teachers who have teaching
responsibilities and who lack necessary education and training
• Library activities
• Network and resource sharing
• Ability to promote reading to children, teachers and parents.
Result:
School libraries are not fully
functional in Vietnam.
7. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Barrier #2 – Current Library System
• No existing policies in place to support reading culture
• Inadequate financial investment
• Large disparity between rural and urban public libraries
in regards to access and available resources
• Academic libraries do not provide enough useful
resources, and specialized libraries are slow to
innovate
Result:
Decline in library use in Vietnam.
8. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Barrier #3 – Lack of Quality Children’s Books & Materials
• Very few authors and illustrators writing for children
• Available books and materials are usually translated
• Focus is on illustrations and not words/text
• Lack of research on children’s reading needs and
interests
• Book leveling – no cooperation between educators and
publishers
• Large access disparity between urban and rural areas
Result:
Poor quality and low quantity of
children’s books in Vietnam.
9. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Barrier #4 – Lack of Family & Community Involvement
• Illiterate parents
• No habit of parents regularly reading stories with children at
home:
– Reading is not a priority – time and space are not available in
home or community
• Low income makes it difficult to purchase books
• Lack of knowledge on how and where to access books
• Other habits have greater priority - watching television,
reading news and playing games online
• Currently no national day for reading promotion in the
community
Result:
Reading is not a priority in the
home or the community.
11. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Room to Read – Supporting School Libraries
• Since 2003, Room to Read (RtR) has launched 467
libraries in Vietnam primary schools; an additional 100
will be established in 2011.
• RtR supports these libraries over a three-year period,
including teacher and librarian training and ongoing
professional development.
• Local community needs inform the type of library selected
for a given school, whether it is a mobile, separate,
constructed or classroom library model.
13. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Room to Read – Supporting School Libraries – cont.
• Books and Materials:
– Local language publishing program that creates quality
children’s books and materials to fill gaps in the current
market.
– Sourcing existing quality children’s books for all libraries that
are developmentally and culturally appropriate.
– Between 3-5 books provided per student.
– Books are classified by reading level.
• Library Infrastructure:
– Special attention is given to library furniture, layout and design
so that each library is inviting and accessible by all children.
15. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Room to Read – Supporting School Libraries – cont.
• Teacher and Librarian Training:
– Designed by professional librarians internationally and
reviewed and adapted by Vietnamese teachers and
librarians to reflect Vietnam context and needs.
– Utilizes Train-the-Trainer model in partnership with
BoET, DoET and local community partners.
– Targets school librarians, teachers and headmasters.
– Includes how to initially set-up library, manage the library
and deliver engaging literacy activities for students.
– Works with schools on developing long-term
sustainability strategies for the library beyond RtR’s 3-
year support cycle.
16. Some images on teachers and librarians’ training courses
17. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Room to Read – Supporting Vietnam’s Education System
• Working in partnership with BoET and
DoET, RtR has:
– Provided training and professional
development activities for headmasters,
teachers and librarians
– Advocated for a designated reading period in
all schools
– Increased family and community awareness
and involvement
– Provided ongoing monitoring and support of
libraries
– Provided long-term sustainability of libraries
18. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Room to Read – Supporting Family & Community
Involvement
• Annual ceremony for International Literacy Day combined
with the Opening School Year Day:
– Raises awareness on the importance of reading and school libraries
and involves local authorities, public libraries, DoET leaders,
headmasters, parents, teachers and students.
• Annual reading and writing contest for children:
– Provides opportunities for creative, imaginative and logical thinking
and writing and involves DoET officers, authors and illustrators,
headmasters, parents, teachers and students.
• Summer reading programs at schools:
– Increases time children can access books for reading during school
break and involves local authority, BoET leaders, parents, teachers
and students, news media, youth volunteer clubs and women clubs.
21. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Next Steps at Room to Read Vietnam
• In 2011, RtR Vietnam will be focusing on:
– Establishing reading periods in all schools supported by
RtR
– Increasing family and community engagement through
events, summer program activities and targeted
marketing campaigns
– Improving teacher and librarian training and ongoing
professional development support, specifically on
children’s habit of reading, book leveling/classification
and reading period
22. Bring a book to a child,
create a lifelong learner for Vietnam’s Future
23. World Change Starts
with Educated Children.®
Thank you!
For more information about
Room to Read:
www.roomtoread.org
My contact information:
truc.nguyen@roomtoread.org
