Analyze the role of students in the anti-imperial struggle in Vietnam during the 19th century.

The battle against French colonial education became part of the larger battle against colonialism and for independence.

1. In 1926, a major protest erupted in Saigon Native Girls School wherein a Vietnamese girl sitting on the front desk was asked to move to the back of the class and allow a French local to come forward. After her refusal, angry students protested openly. As the situation went out of control, all the students who had been expelled were taken back.

2. Students also fought against the colonial government’s efforts to prevent the Vietnamese from qualifying for white-collar jobs. They were deeply inspired by the patriotic feelings and conviction that it was the duty of the educated to fight for the benefit of all, bringing them into conflict with the French as well as the traditional elite.

3. Students also formed various political parties such as the Party of Young Annan and published nationalist journals such as the Annamese Student by the 1920s. Schools thus became important places for political and cultural battles.

NOTE - The idea of the civilizing mission was laid down by the French who claimed to bring modern civilization to the Vietnamese. They took for granted that Europe had developed the most advanced society and it, therefore, became the duty of the Europeans to introduce these modern ideas to the colony.

Education became an important sphere of changing the cultural norms and practices and the French tried to make every effort to change the values, norms, and perceptions of the Vietnamese.