Educational system in Vietnamese feudal period

Overview of education in feudal period

Science, Education and Innovations in the context of modern problems, 05 NOV, 2021       Baku, International Conference

Firtsly, it is necessary to acknowledge that the Confucian educational system was the most prominent aspect of Vietnamese feudal education from the 10th to the 20th centuries. Educational system began when our country gained independence and gradually evolved into an absolute monarchy. Throughout different feudal periods and historical contexts, education thrived over the period of ten centuries. There are a few essential characteristics of Vietnamese feudal education that can be stated. Education has two primary goals: training talents for the country's administrative apperatus and assisting the King in the construction and defense of the kingdom and elevating the intellectual level of the people. Confucianism dominates in terms of educational content. Confucianism became distinctive as it progressed through the dynasties to the pinnacle of growth. Since then, Confucian education has become an orthodox education system and existed throughout the feudal period of Vietnam. The educational content does not only impart scientific knowledge but also attaches importance to the education of ideology, morality, lifestyle and etiquette to train a gentleman who is knowledgeable about poems, letters, ceremonies and music of sufficient and possess enough qualities to support the King. The main textbooks of Confucianism at a higher level are the Four Books, the Five Classics and the Northern History. There are two methods of education, intellectual and moral education. Intellectual education inlucde methods of memorization, reading up classics and history, scholasticism, dogma, and discipline. Moral education: It mainly uses the exemplary method. In addition, the organization of schools and classes is gradually improved according to the education of all people, going from the highest classes of society (kingss) and later extending to the peasants. The educational management system is increasingly being perfected according to the level of organization of the school, approaches deeply into the supervision, promotion and organization of the educational system at different administrative levels. The academic system is a scale to evaluate education in terms of quality and quantity over time. Examination system is also the basis and source of evaluating, screening and selecting talents for the country.

Part 2: Development of education in Vietnamese feudal period

The following key factors influenced the development of education in Vietnam throughout the feudal period. The first is the requirement for the establishment of a centralized autocratic monarchy state. Second, modern feudal dynasties were all engaged in education in order to enhance the intellectual level of the people.

Ngo Quyen defeated the Southern Han army in 938, ascended the throne, and created the Ngo Dynasty, marking the start of Vietnam's time of independence and freedom, as well as the beginning of the feudal period. On this foundation, the Ngo, Dinh, Tien Le, Ly, Tran, Ho, Le So, Mac, Le Trung Hung, Trinh-Nguyen, Tay Son, and Nguyen dynasties developed and enforced 140 their independence. Education developed in tandem with the change of dynasties, the rise and collapse of the contemporary feudal system, on the basis of that freedom and self-reliance.

During the Ngo (938-968) - Dinh (968-980) - Early Le Dynasties (981-1009), mandarins were selected mainly through two forms: mandarin’s children recruitment and recommendation. Those in power were mainly martial generals or princes. As the new state was built, the early feudal monarchy states still did not have enough conditions to organize education and examinations. However, this was a solid foundation for the next feudal dynasties to succeed, build and develop.

The Ly Dynasty (1010-1225): The Ly Dynasty was the first feudal dynasty in Vietnam to establish a systematic academic education system. In 1070, the Ly Dynasty built the Temple of Literature in the capital Thang Long, built statues of Confucius, Chu Cong and 72 talents to worship. Then in 1076, Quoc Tu Giam was also built in Thang Long Imperial Citadel. On this occasion, the competition of “Minh Kinh Bac Hoc” and Confucianism in three levels of examination (Huong, Hoi, Dinh) was organized. The Ly Dynasty held examinations irregularly and periodically and the examinations did not have a definite method. The examinations are quite far apart.

The main educational contents and books in the training system are Four Books, Five Classics, Northern History, Southern History and books of the Hundred Family. A special feature is that because Confucianism is not unique, Buddhism and Taoism are also one of the teaching contents in education during this period. It is also because of this speciality that in 1195 under the reign of King Ly Cao Tong, the examination of the Three Religions (Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism) was officially held. The official writing that still succeeds previous generations is Chinese.

Science, Education and Innovations in the context of modern problems, 05 NOV, 2021 Baku, International Conference

Under the Ly dynasty, along with the completion of the centralized autocratic monarchy state apparatus on the basis of the foundation of the Ngo - Dinh - Tien Le dynasties, the development of education was parallel to the development and the solid foundation of the education system and the examination system of Dai Viet.

After more than 200 years of ruling, the Ly dynasty collapsed and was replaced by the Tran Dynasty (1227-1400). Under this dynasty, education continued to be interested and invested in, although Buddhism was highly valued and popular by the Tran Dynasty, Confucianism was only secondary. Expressed in achievements, outstanding educational events. If before, exams were held sporadically under the Ly dynasty, when the requirement to recruit talents into the state apparatus appeared, then the exams were organized. It is also because of this limitation that the state apparatus is not regularly renewed, supplemented and perfected with regular talents. Therefore, under the Tran dynasty, the organization of examinations took place more regularly. In 1232, the Tran Dynasty opened the first exam. Not only that, in order to encourage the spirit of learning, the Tran dynasty set the "three higest positions in examinations" (Truong Nguyen, Bang Nhan, Tham Hoa) for those who passed the first doctorate in Dinh exams (1247) and regulations to organize an exam every 7 years. Quoc Tu Giam was also opened up more than before for the children of mandarins and aristocrats to study. According to statistics until 1396, the exams were more complete, orderly and transparent. It is from that education system that many talented people are trained and served for the country, making important contributions in the field of politics and diplomacy such as: Nguyen Hien, Mac Dinh Chi, Pham Su Manh, Le Quat .. .

Thus, education under the Tran dynasty developed and reached a more formal level than in previous dynasties. This is one of the great achievements and contributions of the Tran Dynasty Page 141 to Confucian education in the feudal period in particular and the development process of the nation's history in general.

Following the footsteps of the Tran Dynasty was the establishment of the Ho Dynasty when Ho Quy Ly ascended the throne to take the name of the country as Dai Ngu (the shortest feudal dynasty of Vietnamese feudal history) (1400-1407). Vietnamese education stopped developing. During those 7 years, the Ho Dynasty had active policies to promote education, which had been somewhat dismiised during the late Tran period. Ho Quy Ly restricted Buddhism and Taoism from developing under the Ly-Tran dynasties and emphasized Confucianism, so Confucian education had many conditions for development. A typical policy is to place Hoc Quan in the official positions in charge of education and learning. In addition, the educational content is renewed in a modern direction instead of following the old content of the books: Four Books, Five Classics, Northern History, etc., now there are new teaching content, especially in mathematics and politics. is a plus point for education in this period. Besides, the translation of documents and books from Chinese to Nom - Dai Viet's independent script is also an extremely progressive policy. That is considered an expression of the will to uphold the national spirit. The school system in the localities was promoted to expand continuously by the Ho Dynasty. In 7 short years, the Ho Dynasty organized 2 exams in 1400 and 1405 to select more talents for the contemporary country: Nguyen Trai, Vu Mong Nguyen, Ly Tu Tan...

Thus, education is gradually improved, unified and regulated. This is a typical contribution left by the Ho Dynasty, especially one of the positive and progressive points in Ho Quy Ly's reform.

After 20 years of domination by the Ming dynasty from the North, all fields were devastated and decayed to exhaustion: economy, education, culture... Under that trampling, the leader of the insurgent army Lam Son - Le Loi stood up to lead the long-term uprising against the oppressive domination of the Ming Dynasty (1418-1427) and won a resounding victory to continue the history of independence and freedom of the country. From the old ruins to build and strengthen the centralized absolute monarchy state apparatus with solid power, the Le So dynasty paid great attention to education, promulgated and implemented a series of policies and measures to promote , expanding and perfecting the exam regime.

Unlike previous dynasties, typically Ly-Tran, in the Le So period, Confucianism was in a unique position, so Confucian education flourished. Quoc Tu Giam was extended to the children of aristocratic mandarins to study and also to the children of the people who could afford to go to school. On Quoc Tu Giam, there is Thai Academy, the highest educational institution of the feudal state. In addition to schools built by the state, in villages and communes - low administrative units, there are schools organized by teachers and retired mandarins and open teaching classes in the locality. Therefore, not only the upper classes such as nobles, mandarins, and people have conditions to learn but children of other classes in society can also study, which is a source of attracting and training talents for the country. It is the effects of the policy on education for the whole people that have been a driving force to contribute to raising people's intellectual level.

In 1463, examinations were held regularly. Every 3 years there is a contest in the capital to select talents. Subjects of the exam were expanded than before, all educated people with clear backgrounds were allowed to take part in the exam. According to statistics during the peak period of the Le So Dynasty in particular and Vietnam's feudal history in general - during the 142 reign of King Le Thanh Tong (1460-1497), in these 38 years, 12 exams were organized. .

In addition, there is a new policy to encourage education, the Le Dynasty decreed that those who passed the doctorate would have their names engraved on the stone stele erected at the Temple of Literature (1484) and be "honored to worship the ancestors".

It can be said that education under the Le So dynasty, especially during the reign of King Le Thanh Tong, Vietnamese Confucian education developed to the pinnacle of the Vietnamese feudal education system. Therefore, that education produces typical talents who participate in the construction of the country and defend the country, such as: Nguyen Trai, Luong The Vinh

Poinsettia, La Son's wife Nguyen Thiep ... are effective assistants for the king, helping the country develop comprehensively to reach the peak in all aspects from politics, economy, culture, education, society...

After exactly 100 years of construction and development, the Le So dynasty collapsed, the country fell into a constant state of crisis. In the unstable political situation, Vietnam's bachelor's degree education still develops and still achieves many outstanding achievements. In 200 years of chaotic civil war, although not subject to the yoke of domination and exploitation, the country was divided. In 1527, Mac Dang Dung ascended the throne and founded the Mac dynasty to overthrow the Le So dynasty. Education under the Mac continued to develop, manifesting as the Huong and Hoi examinations were held regularly to select talents. Although it has not developed as in the previous period but has declined in quality and quantity, in general, Vietnamese education still has outstanding achievements.

After the North-South war (1533-1592), the Mac dynasty collapsed, the Le dynasty was restored or historically known as the Trung Hung Le dynasty. However, King Le was only a puppet, and Lord Trinh held the real power to govern the country. Experiencing the historical upheaval, the Trinh-Nguyen civil war (1627-1672) continued to bring about many losses to the country and the nation. The inconclusive war once again brought the country into two parts, historically known as Dang Trong ruled by Lord Nguyen - Dang Ngoai ruled by King Le, but real power was in the hands of Lord Trinh. Under the events of history, there are also differences in education in both sides. Externally, Lord Trinh inherited the education from the early Le and Mac dynasties for the purpose of recruiting mandarins for the government, but it was weakened in both quantity and quality. On the inside, faculty education is developed in both content and quality, but it does not have a rich cultural history like the Outer State, so the exam education is not as organized as the Outer side. In 1646, in the interior, the first exam was held to select talented people, from that time the exam was held once every 9 years, divided into 2 departments of Politics (similar to the Huong exam and the Hoi exam in the outside) for the purpose of officer selection.

The state of territorial division of the country ended, when the Tay Son uprising flag was completely victorious due to the wise leadership of Nguyen Hue-Quang Trung (1789). The country was unified, the war was over, the Tay Son dynasty, typically King Quang Trung, carried out comprehensive reforms, typically including education.

The most typical policy is the inclusion of Nom script in the examination and in addition, it is also included in official documents of the state, in the posts, letters, orders.... Therefore, an educational agency. was newly established named Sung Chinh Institute at the end of 1791, led by Nguyen Thiep as director. Emperor Quang Trung also repaired the Temple of Literature, especially down to "Chieu Lap Study" in order to expand the school system to the commune Page 143 level that the previous dynasties could not do. Regarding the learning content, it was also adjusted to suit the new situation, because over a long period of civil war, the educational content became cliché and obsolete. The educational system was restored – in 1789, Quang Trung opened the first Huong exam and implemented many policies to remove the remnants of the nontransparent examination in the previous period. Với những chính sách đầu tư, quan tâm mà giáo dục thời Tây Sơn thu được những kết quả bước đầu. Giáo dục khoa cử Việt Nam bắt đầu được khôi phục.

However, when everything was unfinished, the Tay Son dynasty ended (1802) and was replaced by the last feudal dynasty of Vietnam - the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). In 1802 Nguyen Anh ascended the throne to establish the Nguyen Dynasty. Faculty education under the Nguyen dynasty has somewhat receded and declined due to many different objective and subjective factors. However, the faculty education of the Nguyen Dynasty was still the system of training talents mainly serving the administrative apparatus from 1802 to 1919 when the faculty ended.

Recognizing the important role of Confucianism in consolidating the autocratic monarchy, the Nguyen Dynasty adopted Confucianism as the state religion, trying to rectify the academic education system. Confucian education was established from the time of Minh Mang (18201840) onward with rules and institutions that lasted until 1919. In 1807, the first Huong examination was opened. In 1822, the first contest under the Nguyen Dynasty was held. Faculty education gradually came into order.

In order to revive Confucianism, the Nguyen tried to correct the exams and strengthen the school system. Quoc Tu Giam was established in Hue - the capital. In the localities, the school system was established to the district governments, with officials to supervise and promote learning. The system of private schools in villages and communes is taken care of by the people themselves. Under the Nguyen Dynasty, private schools were more open than before. The content of education in schools in the Nguyen dynasty as well as in the early Le dynasty was still Four Books, Five Classics, and Northen History.

In general, the policies of the Nguyen Dynasty were inherited and built on the basis of the early Le period. Despite many positive policies and measures, Confucian education was still not highly developed, especially due to the oppressive domination and exploitation of the French colonialists for 80 years (1858-1845). Along with the end of the Nguyen Dynasty (1945), the birth of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (September 2, 1945) marked the complete end of the Vietnamese feudal system that existed for nearly 10 centuries. century, opening a new development period for the nation's history and also completely ending the educational system of this period - Confucian education.

Experiencing many ups and downs, historical events, the establishment and collapse of feudal dynasties, Confucian education has sometimes developed, sometimes declined, but in general, the achievements it left for contemporary both time and today are enormous.

Role and position of education in history progress of our country and present time.

We can use the sayings of great historical leaders from each historical period to get a better understanding of the function, position, and relevance of education in Vietnam's historical progress. "Skillful resources are the wellspring of the nation's energy; as the energy is strong, the country is prosperous; as it is weak, the country is humble," said Dr. Than Nhan Trung (14191499) during the feudal period. "An ignorant nation is a weak nation," declared President Ho Chi 144 Minh during the modern era. As a result, education continues to play a critical part in the nation's development at all times. In particular, for Vietnamese feudal period, we can draw some achievements that education brought about from that period.

One is to contribute to the training of national talents, usually doctors and poinsettias, such as Nguyen Hien, Mac Dinh Chi, Luong The Vinh... These intellectuals have have made important contributions to the construction and defense of the country

Second, education provides the states apparatus with mandarins and high-quality human resources, effectively supporting the King. Since then, the feudal state's character, monarchy, autocracy and centralized power have all been reinforced and Confucianism's position has been elevated for a long time to become the object of monolatry.

Third, education helps to raise people's intellectual levels, allowing national culture to grow as well as political, economic, and social stability...

Currently, the growth of education throughout the feudal period has left numerous lessons for our descendants to learn and promote.

As education is considered a top national policy priority, it is vital to completely invest in education from material foundations to infrastructure... Never underestimate the importance of education: an investment in education is a long-term return. As people are the product of education, focusing on the education of the entire population is the most profitable (national education). The Vietnamese government today pays close attention to education and considers it one of its top priorities. Especially in the midst of intense epiemic, Vietnam always takes timely measures to continue teaching and education such as distance learning and learning activities are of the spirit that "Have to try the best, take a good care of students in difficult times".

It is a motto of constantly developing, improving, referring and using realistic instructional approaches. In recent years, Vietnam's educational material has always been updated to reflect the globalization trend, particularly the introduction of the 4.0 technological revolution, which has become even more of a lever for promoting innovation of education.

Educational content must be regularly updated, focusing on fostering talents and promoting transparency in examinations. In recent years, educational content has always been updated by Vietnam to suit the development trend of globalization and especially the emergence of the 4.0 technology revolution, which is even more a lever to promote innovation. education in both content and exam format (Vietnam national high school exam gradually changed from essay to multiple choice from 2008 to present)

In addition to the social science subjects that contribute to the fostering of ideas, feelings and ethics for students, it is necessary to pay special attention to natural science subjects that are suitable with the development trend of the times, applied science and technology. scientific and technical progress in daily life.

Individuals and groups with successes in educational activities should be recognized on a regular basis, with the goal of supporting and stimulating the spirit of education and learning: recognizing, honoring... Education and talent promotion have become a movement among the public in Vietnam today, with the goal of encouraging youngsters to study and practice while also rewarding and encouraging them to buid motivation for education career.