English - CEDAW Southeast Asia

A Gendered and Rights-Based Review of Vietnamese Legal Documents through the Lens of CEDAW
encouraged to exert more on physical education and on skills seen as ‘men’s work’. It is
recommended that a clear statement on equality of work conditions be made to avoid any
confusion and to ensure its emphasis.
Recommendation: It is recommended that an explicit provision guaranteeing the
right to equal education conditions, including the same curricula, examinations,
teaching staff, and facilities be stipulated.
Indicator 67
Indicator 68
Is there legislation on eliminating stereotyped roles of men and
women in all forms of education
Is there legislation requiring the periodic review of textbooks and
curricula to ensure gender sensitivity
The norm of equality can be disseminated systematically through education. However,
unless the norm is incorporated into textbooks, teaching guides and curricula, there can be no
systematic dissemination.
All this has been taken into consideration already in the Plan of Action for Advancement
of Women. Among the measures that need to be undertaken as pointed out in the Plan of
Action for Advancement of Women is the introduction of gender in textbooks and curricula at
all educational levels. In this regard, MOET must: (a) integrate gender and eliminate gender
bias in the curricula and teaching materials at all levels; and (b) provide direction to education
administrators’ school and teachers’ training colleges to integrate gender into fostering and
training programmes for teachers and managers in all sectors at all levels. The Plan of Action
for Advancement of Women also provides that Government ministries, sectors, central
agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees must provide direction to integrate gender
into the education programmes of all schools and professional training institutions for officials
at all levels.
The Law on Gender Equality has specific provisions on this matter as well: (a) it states
that gender equality must be included in the education syllabus; 444 and (b) it prohibits
compilation and dissemination of textbooks that contains gender prejudice. 445
It must also be noted that Article 20 of the Law on Education also has a provision that
forbids the abuse of educational activities to: (a) distort State guidelines, policies or laws; (b)
oppose Viet Nam; and (c) disrupt the national unity bloc, provoke violence, propagate
aggressive war, undermine the fine traditions and customs, disseminate superstitious beliefs
and bad customs, or attract learners into social evils. Under this provision, the norm of equality
and elimination of particular stereotyped role or discriminatory cultural and the practices can
be disseminated.
207
Furthermore, the Decree on Education Violations penalizes acts of teaching or
disseminating contents not included in the prescribed curricula, textbooks or teaching courses
for the purpose of distorting educational contents. 446 Although it is doubtful that steps by
teachers to incorporate gender will fall under this, it may be used as an excuse if there is no
444
Law on Gender Equality, Article 23(2)
445
Ibid., Article 40(4)(d)
446
Decree on Education Violations, Article 10(2)
Education (Article 10 of CEDAW)