Description

Spanish education is compulsory for ages 6-16. It consists of 6 years of primary education and 4 years of
mandatory secondary education, called Educacin Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO). (Rodriguez) After that,
they can either: leave school, further their education by studying the Bachillerato, or take a vocational
course.
Comparison
Vietnamese students follow the same concept, but are not free to choose their courses. To graduate,
Vietnamese students have to study mandatory courses, while students taking the ESO have freedom of
choice in electives. Education in Vietnam is compulsory for ages 6-11 and is not free, but education in
Spain is compulsory for ages 6-16 and is free, supported by the government. (IRED)Vietnams public
spending on education is 6.8% of their total GDP, while Spain invests 11.3% of their GDP on education.
(Worthington)
Which aspect of your chosen topic surprised you?
Because Vietnam is a communist country, it surprised me that students had to study a fixed list of
courses, restricting their freedom of choice. I believe that this is immoral, because students should be
given the right to choose what to study in their later years, but Vietnam is still unwilling to open up to
more modern ideals, because they still base their education on a communist basis.
Why do you think these cultural similarities/differences exist?
These differences exist because of the governmental system, the limited resources and the priority the
country gives to education. Spain is rich and part of the EU, while Vietnam is relatively poor and is a
third-world country. Spain has support and funding from the EU, while Vietnam has to use a portion of
its GDP to spend on education, while balancing it out with other needs such as agriculture and
infrastructure.
What might a person from the target culture(s) find different about your chosen topic in your
culture(s)?
Education is very rigorous compared to Spain, because of the vast number of subjects that are
mandatory and the requirements for graduation. Vietnamese students have to study all sciences, all
humanities courses, IT and civics while Spanish students get to elect sciences and humanities. (UNICEF)
Furthermore, they have to take exams in all of them, placing pressure on students because they need to
pass the exams to graduate. This is inappropriate, because students might be studying something they
might not need for the future.

Word count: 350

Works Cited
Barsa. "El Sistema Educativo De Espana." Idiom Libro Espana. N.p.: n.p., 2010. 38-48. N3
Cultura. Espana Publica. Web.
<http://www.mizarmultimedia.com/secciones/idiomas/descargas/N3_Cultura.pdf>.
IRED. "Overview on Vietnam's Education System." - Education In VietNam. Ba Huyen Thanh
Quan, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.ired.edu.vn/en/EducationInVietNam/Read/overview-on-vietnam-seducation-system/>.
Rodriguez, Teresa M. Un Dia En La Escuela. Rep. no. 651-05-081-9. Embajada De Espana En
Reino Unido, n.d. Web.
<https://onslowcollegespanish.wikispaces.com/file/view/TECLA+un+dia+en+la+escuela
B1.pdf/242669673/TECLA%20un%20dia%20en%20la%20escuelaB1.pdf>.
UNICEF. "Education." UNICEF Viet Nam. Exon Limited, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.unicef.org/vietnam/girls_education.html>.
Worthington, Carl E. "Public Spending on Education, Total (% of GDP)." The World Bank.
World Bank Group, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
<http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS>.