TEXT OF 'FOR A NEW DEMOCRATIC EDUCATION' BY NGUYEN KHANH TOAN

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• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R004100700001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 21
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 10, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 31, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

COUNTRY Thailand
I FO TNIEPO CD NO.
SUBJECT` Text of "For A New Democratic Education" by
OF THE u!:ITiD STATES WITHIN TIIE C3A979U0 qP TI1E F.SPI0l7AG6 ACT 60
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9IDIT!D 8'! U.n. DL'PDODDCnou Cr' P TH99 rDCI1 IS PP.0HIURED.
SOURCE
DATE DISTR 31 JAN 50
NO. OF PAf i TI-
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NO. OF ENCLS.
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SUPPLEMENT TO
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
FOR A NUN DELIOCR&TIC EDUCATION
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ATS OF TIM NL" DF:1lO GRA TI C EDUC T .ON
I, - n u;DU CA TI ON OF THOUGHT
By Its victoryf the Revolution of August 1945 had done away with the dual
yoke of the French imperialists and their Indochinese lackeys. Still the
liquidation of our political bondage did by no means entail an eradication
of all vestiges of French domination in other spheres. One of the domains
in which the enslaving influence of French domination vas most deeprooted
was that of thought and kn iledgeQ This was Why the August Revolution has
raised the urgert problem of reeducation of our people's way of thinking,
In other words, our national culture also calls for a sweeping revolutions
Referring to the need of an "irritellect':aal revolution", some people would
argues 'flow could the evil influence of F' ench domination be impressive
upon our people's minds if no Viet Ham ?- let alone the fetter who chose to be
enslaved -- over tolerated the woeful crimes perpetl-a- id by the colonialists
for so many years?"
Such, however, was not the case. 1t.1,-3 not true that all those who
bated and repudiated French rule had rid themselves thereby of the invisible
fetters which French imperialists had clapped dovni upon their judgments
their understanding, their working mothods: and their conception of men
This docur is
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PETIT CULLS OF IM ME DI IO CRATI C I,DUCATION
e have said in the foregoing that the primary aim of the n v democratic
education is to bring the people as a whole, and especially the younger
gernoration, a now way of thinking, a new understanding and a new spirits so
that they may take an active and useful part in the war of resistance and
the national reconstruction0
The lines along; which the new education should go in order to attain
these goals must be at once firm and flexible. The new education must Jay
heavy stress on and coordinate the trend and the laws of the general evolu-
tion of the world on the one hands and the specific laws ruling over the
evolution of our people at the present stage of our history on the other
handa
The dialectic coordination of these two factors; people and mankind,
is an outstanding feature of the new democratic regime.
The education which best fits and symbolizes the spirit of the new
democracy - because it leads straight up to the foregoing goals - must be
at once national (of the people), scientific and popular (for the many).
But how are we to apply those three principles to culture and education?
I'. - A NATIONAL EDUCATION
A, The study of history stirs and tempers nationalism,
First, a national education is one which undertakes to impress the mind
of the youth with a clear and dignified idea of the origins of their own
peoples; to acquaint them thoroughly with the national traditions, the
sufferings and the glories of previous generations in their struggle for
national independence and freedom; stir in thew a deep love for the people
and an undiluted faith in the strength and power of the people.
Next it must toll the young generations the present hour and open before
them a vista of the brilliant and unlimited progress of the people in the
future a
Having those basic pr: neiples in mind the young man t,,rho makes his
"debut" in society - whatever his specialities and abilities - will not
lose sight of his main duty which is to serve the common interests of the
people.
In this respect we may rightly regard the history of Viet Nam as a
decisive factor in the rejuvenatiov_j of the mind and spirit of our youth.
Due to our ignorance of the leading role of the study of history in the
educational scheme as a whole, the teaching of history up to now has not
been seriously attended to and has not as yet a dignified place in our
schools.
Once we have come to a clearer idea of the vital role of history in
the new education, vie must tackle the question of how to bring about a
scientific conception to ensure a scientific teaching and writing of
h story. In this connection the history books handed down to us by the
French administration must be scrapped. Much or little, these textbooks
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had stamped the Hinds of the alder generations ,7ith two damming ideas; first,
they killed the confidence of the elder generations in and their respect of
our people and denied it the status and dignity of a nation. The result was
that many Prench educated people had fallen in for the enthralling culture
of the imperialists with such blindfoldness and self-oblivion that they finally
relied on other people rs help and 7melt down before the might of foreign in-
vaders and foreign aggressorso
Next, they sowed in the minds of the previous generations the seeds of a
narrow-minded, racial discrimination with regard to neighboring people. A
scientifie conception of history ist therefore, necessary to both teachers
and historians. Such conception cannot be based on any other theory than that
of historical materialism. This doctrine enables the history students to
respect and have confidence in their own people and prevents them from relapsing
into narrow-minded racialism. IIistory, if taught or recorded according to a
scientific conception will show us the main trend of our people's advance
throughout these . . . . a It also will bear out the fact that our people
have the strength and courage necessary to win a place in the history of nations
and at the same time to line up with other nations in the same process of
evolution, which means that without parting with its individualism and
personality, it will continue to hold at intimate intercourse with other
nations.
If we wish to bring out these characteristics of history - -which are the
expression of objective realities of truth itself'- we must write and teach
a history of the people, of the masses of people whose life and activities
had led up to the momentous changes in the various stages; a a . a a . . a o
. 4 a . k a a . 4 O . . . a . . . P . . . . . 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
trends and of their influences upon the general progress of society.
In a word, in order to tran.form our national education and bring it
into line with the spirit of the now democracy - which is embodied in the
first place by the principle of nationalism +- the place of honor in our
schools must go to history.
And if we -rant to recorC an accurate and self--respecting history of Viet
Nam in keeping with the scientific spirit, the first stop to be taken is to
organize a nucleus of researchers and =writers of national history, that is,
to create a historic research institute to be placed under the direction or
sponsorship of the education ministry.
The creation of this organism is necessary because historic research has
so far been the private concern of separate individuals which inevitably resulted
in the subserving of the works done to the personal and arbitrary conceptions
of the researchers themselves.
The Historic Researches Institute (which, incidentally, may be called
Academy, Commission, Association, or any other names) provided that the work
be done jointly by a group. of researchers, and must not only collect material
but also sot the main lines and principles according to which history should
be recorded.
A common line is necessary because a book of history must no lorger'be pL
passive and colorless record of past and bygone events or incidents. History,
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Which has become a fullfledgedscience like other natural sciences, must be able
to describe and explain the la-:s which preside over the general evolution of
human society, and, in partieularp over the development of each separate people.
Collective research is, therefore, necessary and helpful.
B. National Language, an Instrument of Thought:
tidhile the study of history is expected to revive the national consciousness
of the people, the means by which the principle of nationalism in education must
be expressed is the national language. It is an instrument for expressing,
improving, and transforming the thought of the people. The history of other
countries shows hour deep the influence of national language has been upon the
thought and national consciousness of the people.,
Under French rule Viet Nam pupils were taught in the French language.
Today pu ils of all degrees and part of the students (law and toacheral training
colleges) are taught in Viet Nam,
Generally speaking, however, the study and teaching of the national
language in our schools have not yet received either a rightful place or a
scientific basis. Now our national education cannot develop speedily unless it
is conveyed through a rich, flourishing, and popular mother tongue. The study
and teaching of Vietnamese as observed today show the following flawsa
1. The vocabulary used in natural and social sciences has not yet been
unified or even fixed.
2. The choice of text-books old and new does not follow a definite line.
3?
The teaching of literary works is done often with attention being
paid uniquely to their forms and style, or to the proper meaning
of words without due insistence upon the political or social
significance of the works themselves.
4. There is no teaching of the history of Viet Nam literature. This
is mainly due to the lack of a really valuable work of this kind.
To remedy those shortcomings and to speed up the progress of our education
so that all Viet Nam pupils will be taught in their mother tongue in the near
future - otherwise national education would be impossible -- the second irmediate
stop to be taken is to create a literary academy. This organization, which will
either be placed under the direction of the education ministry or at least will
keep in close contacts with it, will collect, translate, and comment on old and
new literary works both of the ti=writers and of the common people, and to write a
history of Viet Nam literature. It ra ll also study the literature of the Bast
and of the Nest. Lastly, it will undertake to compile a Viet Nam dictionary.
Also in order to materialize the principle of nationalism, the new education
among our upland minorities, we must complete in a most scientific way the
. . ? . . . . . . of their native dialects. It may be noted here that the
basis of this great work has already been laid by our education Ministry after
two years of constant effort, Vhat remains to be done is merely to broaden and
consolidate this foundation and to rake it more scientific every day. This task
also rests with the literary academy,
Now the creation of the literary academy, like that of the institute of
historic research, cannot be delayed any longer.
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Ca The Realities of National Life arc the Fountain Head of the Fboplo s
Culture and Education:
It is much to be regretted that we have so far been unable to assimilate
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available in our country by the realities of our daily life and by the long
standing and many-sided strugT_le of our people.
This is a disease we have caught from the French-sponsored education,
n mely, the bookishness which keeps us away from surrounding realities
The only way to cure this disease and to Give our new education a truly
national character is to go back to reality to try to grasp all the permanent
or transient forms under which it manifests itself.
In the field of historic research, apart from the political and military
changes recorded in French-censored books, vie have not yet collected historic
materials on the economic, social, and cultural life of past generations.
Here some people may be heard pleading: "This shortcoming is inevitable be-
cause even if we were to turn upside down all the available books and documents
we mould not find more or bettor." Tc this we will readily reply that historic
research cannot be bated exclusively on old books and scripts, but also on
ancioat vestiges, on stories, popular songs and verses, and anything else that
belongs to unrecorded history.
;,ith regard to the history of mountain peoples, no materials have been
collected. As regards the history of revolutionary movements, besides a few
recent materials dealing only with the period under French rule, such momentous
events as the peasant movement under the Nguyen dynasty (18th century), the
peasant revolt like that led by the Tay Son brothers,, have not inspired any
close study or systematic and scientific research%
As far as literature is concerned,, we have not yet studied or realized
the h:zgo treasure handed doom to us by our forefathers. Take this thing called
human-.sm, for instance; here as elsewhere the only data available wore drawn
from -;he French books themselves, Nothing was said or written about the real
Vietnamese humanism which had flourished on the background of Viet Nam realities
in the past centuries during; the struggles of our intellectual elite against
Vietnamese feudalism or foreign aggression, This humanism can readily be found
in the works by Han Thuyen, General Tran hung Dao, Nguyen Trai; in such master-
pieces as Yimvan1lou,, ChinhphunGam, Tencungoan; in the poem by Le quy Dona
Hoxuanhuong? Nguyencongtru, Caobaquat, Tuxuong; in such eloquent prose writings
as "funeral orations in memory of the war dead."
The same Vietnamese humanism is also percolating through our popular
philosophy with its specifically Vietnamese spirit and its own means of ex-
pression, which are the popular songs, the "comparisons", the nursery
rhymes, the proverbs and sayings, the humoristic stories by Trangguynh, etc*
In the matter of geography, the too simplest books wrilten by colonialist,
authors for government schools under French rule were unable, or, rather made
it a point not to shtw us the picturesque and inspiring landscapeti.aich made
up the natural beauty of our land. 's a ratter of economic geography, we knee,
nearly nothing about the inexhaustible mineral woodland, agricultural and sub-
marine resources of our country. .ith regard to human geography, we did not
knw all about the races inhabiting the Viet Nam territory, their various
social and economic institutions, their marmors and traditions, their culture
and languages, etc. 0 * *
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in the domain of philosophy we only referred to western thinkers when
corzienting on the old schools of thought. ..o did not strive to study and
comment from a now standpoint on the philosophical doctrines of the East like
Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, which had for many thousand years domina-
ted the thought of half of mankind, including our own people, and this stamp
is still fairly visible among men of our 0-enoration4
In the domain of political economy nobody has over paid serious attention
to such important problems as the land tenure in ancient Viet Nam, the Asian
methods of production which prevailed in our feudalistic economy and are still
prevailing in the coastal and upland areas of Viet Nam
It is also to be regretted that research in geology, natural sciences,
agriculture& medicine, and other sciences have not yet made full use of
matcrt.als available in largo amount in our country.
Indeed we cannot overnight use all the materials drawn from daily
realities however ready they may bs? This is a gigantic, longstanding,
continuous, and systematic process. The first step to be taken in this
direction is jest to pave the way for future research. A radical and definite
change of direction is required if vro want to give our national culture and
education a popular and national basis. Like history and literature, other
natural and social sciences must also benefit from a center of study and a
basis for thought and analysiso
in short, a people's education must follow principles:
X. To frame the national consciousness of the people by the study of
national history.
To give our education a truly national character by checking upon the
people's studies and realization on the daily and manysided realities
of rational life.
Without these 3 principles, which are bound up together, no really national
education hopes to survive.
II. - A SCfl;PITIFIC EDUCATION:
A scientific culture is not exactly one in which natural sciences hold the
first place or play the leading role. "Scientific" means anything that is
opposed to the passive spirit, to the conception of eternal nature, and,.9 in
history, to the brainstuffing methods, to the _n~:.'.c such learnings and
teachings as would impede human progress. "Scientific" also means all that is
opposed to bookishness, to the hoarding of a knowledge not n aaily utilizable.
Science is the reflection of reality having realities as its criteria; it
constantly changes and improves according to the development of realities, and
aims at the realization of the motto? "Study and Act"; in brief, a scientific
education is an instrument for freeing the people from the shackles of thought.
Such an education is obviously incompatible with the principles laid down
by the imperialist educationists. The main defects of the French-sponsored
education were:
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to its enslaving character.
2. It turned men into obedient machines.
3? It was cumbersome and slcnr because its principles remain unchanged
for many decades.
t}. It did not come into touch with realities. It maintained a wide
gap between study and action,
5. It lacked a serious civic education.
In short, the education imposed upon our people by the French imperialists
was antiscientific, since it was aimed at the complete subservience of our
nation.
The main task ahead of a new democratic education must, therefore, be s
First, to -ripe otrt once and for all the vestiges of the old imperialist
education -which still can be found in our program, textbooks and teaching
methods and in the organization of school and study,
Those vestiges cannot be cleared up overnight by a number of government
decrees or decisions. This work is bound up with the transformation of
thought which is a long-standing and continuous undertaking.
Such work requires an efficient coordination of the administrative and
educational systems and the training of a new teaching personnel, especially
for primary and high schoolsphas a decisive importance. The personnel
problem must be solved bys
1, Re-educating old teachers.
2e Training new teacherse
while the training of new teachers will be taken up by the newly created
training college, the re-education of old personnel can go to the teachers'
union, which, if it is r eorganized0 can do fine things in this organization
of the professional and political studies of the teachers.
Second, the new scientific education must keep in close contact with,
and reflect the life of the people, This task has partly been outlined in
the principle of nationalism in education.
All the learning imparted to pupils in natural and social sciences must
be based on the daily realities of national life in Viet Nam. Iiotiever, to
reflect the life of the people is not to grasp and describe dispassionately
the various aspects under which it manifests itself. A scientific education
must be a motivating power capable of furthering the progress of society in
all directions It must bring about the "cohesion between knowledge and
action" which is the primary aim of any progressive educations because a new
culture and odueation based on a progressive understanding of nature and
human life must not only enable the people to learn, but also to transform
and improve their living conditions,
Third,, a now and scientific education must be dynamic, that is, it must
constantly adjust itself to the progress of the people to natural and social
realities both at home and in the world. The gravest and most hazardous
disease suffered by the French-sponsored education is that it remains un-
changed for many decades. French primary education is now nearly the same
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as it was 60 years ago when electricity,, wireless, telegraph, and atomic
energy wore still to be discovered0 And yet the ruling classes in France have
not as yet taken any step torard revising; the spirit and basis of the old
education. In French secondary schools a lot of time is being wasted on
fancy matters having no practical interest. As regards university students,
they are spending long years mostly on theoretical studies. To top it all,,
there are as yet unsettled conflicts . . . a . . . . . . . . . . % . . . , a
. fi d M1 . 0 . . 0 . . . . . . . . . . a . a a . 0 . . . 0 a . 0 t . . . a 0
the rogine of favoritism still prevailing in that country.
Such rottenness and depravity, no doubt, will not be tolerated in our new
e ducati. ono
:.hat does "Dynamism" in odueatiozt mean? A dynamic education and society
in the safe of the people 5ic7 and of the world but also lays particular
stress on the needs of the naElon at each definite stage of its history.
Fo:? instance, the now education, in order to be scientific, must cope with
the war of resistance. Furthermore, wartime education itself must be divided
into several stages corresponding to the different phases of the resistanceo
The main task to be fulfilled by vre.rtitne education at the stage of prepara-
tion for the General couniaer-offensive must not be the same as in other
phases. It will not be enough to teach pupils general notions on politics
or to tell them about their duties as citizens of a country at war or
give them souse additional military training.
The same rule applies as well to the teaching of natural and social
sciences which must aim at meeting the needs of the people and the army in
their present fight for freedom.
Indeed the framing of such progress is a great work which requires the
close cooperation between all branches of education and other branches of
national activity.. For instance, if the wartime teaching of history is to
center around the struggles against foreign aggression both in Viet Nam and
in other countries, historians are not in a position to do the work fruit-
fully unless they be assisted by revolutionary organizations or personalities.
Fourth, a new and scientific education must enable the energy and
ability of the youth to develop harmoniously. To this effect, two erroneous
tendencies must be avoided:
1. To attach equal importance to all the matters taught. This method
sacrifices thoroughness of knowledge to its shallow generality. The
opposite tendency would be to allwu the young pupils to take too keen an
interest in a given matter at the expense of others. In progressive countries
pupils are taught according to their age and degree of intelligence. Thus
before enteriLC the universities, the young men have not only P. sound knovrl-
edge of all matters but also a deepfelt predilection for a definite art or
science. This result is obtained "ILrough a gradual process of guidance.
After class or on holidays, primary school pupils Co to the children's
cultural institutes, the children's gardens, or other places where sciences
and arts are taught to them in a simplified manner under the guise of
attractive games and toys. Meanwhile, youths from the high schools and
univercities, as well as government officials and employees. Co to their
own clu?-s where, in addition to routine entertainment, they can study
literature, music, singing, theater, painting, mechanics, or electricity, etc;
or they are tau-lit to drive and reair motor vehicles, combines, and tractors;
or they take lessons in gymnastics, skiing, and skating; or they play soccer
and tennis, etc.
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t--pical question which is likely to interest all practical-minded studentso
On their part., medical students must pay attention to the reconstruction of
collective vi?lages. Students of political economy must tee familiar with
the workers' and peasants' iovenonts$ etc.
In short, a now democratic and scientific education must follow up
realities;, that is, the everyday life of the people, not only in orier to
help them understand but also modify nature and society and su`-sequently
iaprovo their living conditions.
l::I. - AN EDUCATION FUR TIC:; GMAT EJI:i#+,P,S2
'hen we say, "Our national education, like our national culture must be
popularized", some people may objects "7hy on earth should we do it? .e
would simply lo7arr the standard and value of education by spreading it out to
the masses."
To this we will reply: "That has absolutely nothing to do with
popularization." The culturo and education prevailing under the colonialists,
feudalists, and capitalists., and other regi?ies which tolerated or encouraged
the exploitation of man by man, rro:,'e the privilege of a social minority,
of those who defended the interest of the ruling c1.assesa: Under socialism
of which the new democracy is but a transitory stage - culture and education
are no longer the private property or concern of a few wealthy or socially
high ranking people. They must become the joy and business of the great masses
of the peoples which is the first step towe.rd bridging the gap bet.,.cien max-lual
and intellectual workers and to arcs building up a society in which class
antagonism no longer exists. . i th the liquidation of the private property
regime, differences between social classes in the intellectual sphere will
die gradually,
To popularize education under the now democratic regime only moans to
pave the way to the admission of the great masses of the people into the
higher spheres of learning and thought from vthich they have been and still
are banned by the regimes of oppression and exploitation,
what are thought, culture, and science but the syntheses of experiences
Gathered from the process of man's struggle against nature and hie fight
for froedonn, equality and happiness? ':fit was the mainstay of that struggle
but the working people themselves who had for so many cent-uri is piled up all
the material and moral treasures o':' humanity, two had turned forwarfd the
wheels of history? as it not a staggering fact that the men who have .built
up the huge and beautiful castle in which we have been living all those
centuries are now forbidden its entrance and are standing outside looking
bitterly or wrathfully at the work they have done? And yet this state of
things still prevails under the regimes of oppression and exploitation.
It behooves the new democratic revolution to wipe out such preposterous
conditions of national culture and education, Only when their closed doors
have been flung wide open to the great masses of the people, will science,
art, and thought really be unfettered and will develop with a strength
hitherto unlnaown in history. Because nobody can q . d . .
n 0 ? q rt a R , O O O , ,. .0 O , ed . 0 r O O . p a q q r . O 4 s B O tl {".
and impetus than these who Lave themselves laid do:?.,n the basis of these
achievements, Take, for instance, the Stakhanovitch movement which was
launched throughout the Soviet Union in 1935. Ps Stalin has put it, this
movement had "raised the workers up to the level of the engineer". Switching
over to other countries, one may aeks "Should rot the vi tories of the Red
Army over German naziism and of the Chinese Liberation forces over the
- - be rightly regarded as e- poch-makin; ctories of human science
and knowledge themselves?
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The education dispensod to primary school pupils is one thing; the primary
learning to be given to graduates of the anti-illiteracy courses is anothero
As far as the latter are conearned, serious attention must be paid to the
age,, living conditions, and social standing of the pupils. Such an education
must lean strongly on realities, and the teaching of sciences, history,
geography, etc., must be shorn of all its ornaments,,
s a o e a a a a a o . a a a a a o a o a e a . . a . a . a . a . o . a e a a
The work must be done definitely so as to give "popular education" pupils
about the same standard as that of public primary schools.
To end illiteracy and to promote the people's primary education are the
first tasks to be fulfilled by the new education "for the many".
The second task is to enable all children of school age - both from the
countryside and from the towns - to attend school regardless of wealth and
according to the slogan " a preparatory school for each village". To this
end, the government, the public services, and the people's organizations
will grant scholarships to poor children in order to help them to buy school
supplies. t was with this aim in mind that the "association for the protec-
tion of poor pupils" has been created.
Another auxiliary but no less important task is to enable parents to
study or take part in social worksp such as the "more production" movement.
L ray village women are missing the opportunity to learn simply because
they have too many children. Often children are unable to attend school or
oven study at home because they have to take care of their younger brothers
or sisters? To face this situations nursery classes must be set up on a
mationuide scale in which women of all walks of life must take part. These
women will look after all the children under school age in order to give
parents enough leisure to attend school or study at home.
The third task of a new "education for the many" is to out down the high
school program and make it more realistic so as to bring the present seven years,
terms do-ern to five, or, at most0 six years. This will be the more feasible as
high school pupils are now learning in their mother tongue. .e should no longer
follow French education which requires at least twelve years to complete primary
and high school courses. This is, no doubt, a great handicap for poor children
who have to eke out an early livelihood.
The fourth task of an education for the great masses is to promote,
encourage, and assist the self-teaching movement among the people, the army,
the public services, and the peoples, organizations so as to enable every one ..
whatever his business ?> to learn and improve. After completing the regular
courses, these self-taught people may, regardless of age? pass examinations
s.milar to those in public schoolso Those who have taken a fair share in
the resistance will be favored at these examinations. :.e may recall in this
connection the wrong ideas which occurred to some people with regard to the
question of examination. According to these people, all examinations should
be suppressed under our democratic regime because they are nothing but the
vestiges of the enslaving education imposed on us by the French colonialists.
,.e do not share this view. The aim of learning is knowledge, and the only
way to measure our knowledge is to control, to examine, to stop it 5i.
Indeed, examinations under our democratic regime are not the same as t y
were under French rule. Under the French regime, examinations often were a
"spatter of luck", a source of injustice, and also a means for the graduates
to earn their living or gain social positions. Under the democratic regime,
examinations must be carried out by -taking into account not only the candidates,
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