Is education for all? The experiences of ethnic minority students and teachers in North-western Vietnam engaging with social entrepreneurship

This paper discusses the challenges teachers and ethnic minority students face living in rural North-western Vietnam and how social entrepreneurship can mitigate these. The data was gathered through 33 interviews (teachers N=10; students N=20; parents of a student N=2; social entrepreneur N=1). The data were analysed using thematic analysis, drawing from Fraser’s (2010) justice model. The paper also links to Granovetter’s (1985;2005) social embeddedness concept, to emphasise how social enterprise enabled socio-economic networks can support ethnic minority students to overcome redistribution, representation and recognition problems. The paper makes an original contribution by showing how socio-economic networks enhance weak-ties and bridge resources to empower the socially disadvantaged to achieve educational inclusion.