Resistance in Schools


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Resistance in Schools

Resistance in Schools: Teachers and students of Vietnam did not blindly follow the French dictates. Teachers sometimes modified the text and criticised what was stated. There was open opposition and on the other hand, there was also a silent resistance.

Students Agitation: An incident of Saigon Native Girls School in 1926, created much agitation amongst the Vietnamese. A Vietnamese student sitting in one of the front seats was asked to vacate it for her fellow French student. But as the girl refused to do so, the principal expelled her. When other angry students protested, they too were expelled. This incident led to a further spread of agitation and protests among students. Seeing the situation getting out of control, the government ordered the school authority to take all the students back. This incident hurt the nationalist feelings of the Vietnamese.

Students’ Reaction to Colonial Policies: Students’ agitation brought, them into conflict with the French as well as the traditional elite, Students fought against the colonial government’s efforts to prevent the Vietnamese from qualifying for white-collar jobs. By the l920s, students were forming various political parties, like, Young Annan and publishing nationalist journals like the Annanese Student. Schools thus became an important place for political and cultural battles. The French tried to strengthen their rule in Vietnam through the control of education. They tried to change the values, norms and perceptions of the people to make them believe in the superiority of French civilisation and the inferiority of the Vietnamese. The battle against French colonial education became the part of the larger battle against colonialism and for independence

 
 


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