Why were French schools opposed Related: Some Important Questions - N...
1) Civilizing Mission:
The French, like the British, claimed they were bringing modern civilization to the
Vietnamese. They wanted to introduce modern ideas to the colony even if this meant destroying local cultures, religion and traditions as it was seen as outdated and prevented development. The French needed educated labour force but once educated it would create problems for them – they might lose their jobs and they might question colonial domination.
2) Problems in the sphere of Education:
a) The elites in Vietnam were influenced by the Chinese culture;
b) To consolidate the French power, they had to counter the Chinese influence;
c) They had to dismantle the traditional system of education and establish French Schools for the Vietnamese;
d) They wanted to replace the Chinese language;
e) French language to be the medium of instruction was felt by policy makers. Others opposed it and suggested Vietnamese be taught in the lower classes and French in the higher classes
f) Only a small fraction of population could enroll in schools and only a few could pass school leaving examinations.
g) Their school text books glorified French and the colonial rule. The Vietnamese were represented as primitive, backward, capable of manual labour, first to work in the fields and were skilled copyists and not creative.
3) Western style of Education:
The Tonkin Free School was started in 1907 to provide Western Style of Education.
(i) This education included classes in Science, hygiene and French
(ii)They encouraged the Western style such as having a short haircut as against their traditional long hair.
4) Resistance in Schools:
The teachers and students did not blindly follow the curriculum. The teachers while teaching criticized their text. The students of French should occupy front seat in the class. If they refused, they were expelled. The students fought against the colonial government’s efforts to prevent the Vietnamese from qualifying for white-collar jobs.