Education Abroad: The Good Books

When the French Tricolor fluttered down a decade ago, the literacy rate in Viet Nam was about one third (down from when the French arrived 90 years before). Now, both despite and because of the war, two-thirds of the South Vietnamese can read and write. A major reason is that the U.S. Government’s AID has flooded the schools with 7,000,000 textbooks in its most successful Vietnamese assistance program. It plans to distribute another 7,000,000 next year.

No longer does a typical Saigon elementary class of 60 kids have only six textbooks, each of a different kind. No longer do teachers have to outline a lesson on chalkboard, make children copy it and chant it back. To stop any kid on the streets is to find one or two of the new texts in his bookbag.

The texts have been compiled by 37 Vietnamese writing committees. They include 25 different language versions of a first-grade book for aboriginal Montagnards, who speak a variety of Polynesian-based languages. The books are mass-printed in Hong Kong and Manila at an average cost of 22¢ each.

The books have thick paper and plastic covers to withstand rough wear and tropical rains. One shipment of 2,000 books survived two weeks in boxes under nine feet of flood water. They range from simple hygiene texts—Now let’s brush our teeth,

Let’s clean our face, nose, arms and legs,

Then let’s comb our hair,

And let’s not forget to go to the toilet. —to a history series, math series and basic readers. One of the most popular books is a simple version of My Baby Brother by Dr. Benjamin Spock, who has been a leader of demonstrations opposing the U.S. action in Viet Nam.