It was announced by the French that those who would learn French and accept French culture would be rewarded with French citizenship. However, only a few elite Vietnamese could enroll in the schools, and only a few among those admitted ultimately passed the school-leaving examinations. This was largely because of a deliberate policy of failing students, mainly in the final year, so as to stop them from getting better-paid jobs. Usually, as many as two-third of the students failed and in 1925, out of population of 17 million, less than 400 passed the examination. School textbooks glorified the French and justified colonial rule and represented the Vietnamese as primitive and backward, capable of manual labour only. School children were taught that only French rule could ensure peace in Vietnam.
