Ethnic Minority Paper, Draft 3 Promoting Ethnic Minority Development in Vietnam

III.3 Developing indicators for the priority ethnic minority targets

It is difficult to develop quantifiable indicators for the three specific ethnic minority targets. This is because the current system of monitoring, data collection and analysis does not systematically disaggregate information for different ethnic minority groups, nationally or by sector. Consequently it is difficult to obtain accurate baseline information and data as well as to monitor trends over time. Improving monitoring systems will be central to assessing socio-economic development and progress amongst ethnic minority groups for this decade. Initiatives to refine the process of quantative and qualitative data collection and analysis from an ethnic minority perspective are explored in section V.

This section makes a preliminary attempt to develop indicators for measuring progress against the three priority ethnic minority targets. Emphasis is drawn to the fact that the proposed indicators are to be viewed as a work in progress, requiring additional work and consultation to make them more specific and quantifiable. The proposed indicators derive from an assessment of existing programmes and policy challenges relating to the targets covered in the next section.
Target 1: to preserve and develop ethnic minority languages and promote bilingual literacy in areas where there are high concentrations of minority peoples
In view of low levels of literacy and teaching literacy in ethnic minority languages, this target is considered in the context of bilingual education and the broader benefits of learning in the mother tongue.

Target 1	Proposed indicators	Proposed intermediary targets and activities
Preserve and develop ethnic minority languages and promote bilingual literacy in areas where there are high concentrations of minority peoples	Proportion of ethnic minority boys and girls completing the primary education cycle partly in Vietnamese language and partly in their local language by 2010 Proportion of ethnic minority girls and boys of pre-school age completing kindergarten partly in Vietnamese language and partly in their local language by 2010 Literacy rate of 15-24 year old women and men from minority groups in main ethnic minority languages and Vietnamese language Literacy rate of 5-44 year old women and men from minority groups in main ethnic minority languages and Vietnamese language	Increased access to quality and affordable bilingual education programmes in the main ethnic minority languages in primary schools in communes with large percentages of ethnic peoples Increased access to quality and affordable bilingual pre-school programmes in the main ethnic minority languages and Vietnamese language in communes with large percentages of ethnic peoples Development of ethnic minority language skills and teaching methodologies of pre-school, primary and literacy teachers Development of appropriate literacy programmes for men and women in the main ethnic minority languages and in Vietnamese language.

Target 2: Ensure that individual and collective land-use rights for all land-use types have been allocated to the majority of the ethnic mountainous people.
Land allocation to individuals has speeded up for agricultural land but remains slower for allocation of collective land-use rights, especially over forest and other land use types. Amid growing evidence and concern that the process of allocation is not always equitable and does not always adequately reflect local land use patterns and priorities, it is proposed that indicators take into account the need to bring land titling measures more in line with the land use systems and practices of ethnic communities and to give communities a greater voice in allocation decisions⁷.

Target 2	Proposed indicators	Proposed intermediary targets and activities
Ensure that individual and collective land-use rights for all land-use types have been allocated to the majority of the ethnic mountainous people.	Rates in issuance of Land Use Certificates over agricultural land on an individual and a collective basis in mountainous, ethnic minority districts Rates in issuance of Land Use Certificates over forest land (disaggregated for natural forest and plantation forest), including sloping land, on an individual and a collective basis in mountainous, ethnic minority districts	Greater participation of ethnic communities in the land allocation process and development of land-use plans based on the characteristics and traditional systems of each location. Greater equity in land allocation processes

Target 3: Increase the proportion of government personnel of ethnic origin closer to its proportion in the national population.
The target of increased representation of ethnic minority peoples is considered in relation to intended outcomes of improved participation in public life and improved delivery of basic services. The indicators therefore reflect both training and information dissemination dimensions.

Target 3	Proposed indicators	Proposed intermediary targets and activities
Increase the proportion of government personnel of ethnic origin closer to its proportion in the national population.	Proportion of relative numbers of government personnel of ethnic origin close to 13 per cent nationally by 2010 Proportion of ethnic minority personnel in district and provincial government departments and public services relative to the proportion of ethnic groups in a given locality by 2010	Expansion of training and capacity building opportunities to increase the quality and quantity of the human resource pool for different ethnic groups Expansion of delivery of local services in main minority languages Expansion of use of main minority languages in the mass media and dissemination of information related to public plans, budgets and laws in their respective localities.

Additional resources will be required to increase the participation of ethnic groups in public life, as government personnel and in the process of land allocation. Initial investment to extend quality and affordable literacy opportunities in main ethnic minority languages, to build up the capacity of teachers and government personnel and to promote local level participation in remote areas, in a range of languages, will be high. While it is beyond the scope of this paper to put a cost on these inputs, it is recommended that further analysis on resource use and needs focus on:

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  A review of the impact and cost-effectiveness of existing programmes to promote ethnic minority development, including infrastructure interventions, sedentarisation programmes and agriculture extension;
  
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  An assessment of the distribution and impact of state-provided benefits on poorest ethnic minority groups;
  
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  An assessment of the costs of tailoring development programmes to ethnic minority needs and priorities in relation to poverty reduction, sustainability, social equity and social justice. This should include an examination of the costs of not improving programme targeting in terms of poor infrastructure, inappropriate facilities and services and a widening poverty gap.