'Shortcuts, get ahead' to catch up with advanced education

GD&TĐ - One of the tasks set for the 2025-2026 school year is to develop a Strategy for applying artificial intelligence (AI) in education and training.

Experts expect that this Strategy will help Vietnamese education "take shortcuts and get ahead", catching up with advanced education systems in the world.

Inevitable trend in education

According to Mr. Nguyen Sy Nam - Director of the Center for Research and Transfer of Digital Technology (School Design Research Institute, Ministry of Education and Training ), in the context of digital transformation and the 4.0 Industrial Revolution, AI has become an inevitable technology trend in education. The Ministry of Education and Training affirmed that AI will expand access to knowledge and improve the quality of teaching, and at the same time, there needs to be a clear strategy to "understand and use AI" to become the core competency of 21st century citizens.

“This strategy helps the education sector proactively apply technology, innovate teaching and learning methods, and create a foundation for modern and sustainable education. Therefore, building an AI application strategy in education and training for the 2025-2026 school year is necessary, both to meet national orientations in the context of the 4.0 Industrial Revolution and the strong digital transformation trend,” Mr. Nguyen Sy Nam affirmed.

In the context of strong digital transformation, the application of AI is not only a trend, but also an inevitable requirement to improve the quality of human resources. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tuong Duy Hai - Hanoi National University of Education, senior advisor of the STEM AI Lab Education Program of Learn to Leap, acknowledged that the Ministry of Education and Training has issued a Digital Competency Framework, including the ability to apply AI for students from grades 1 to 12.

This is a breakthrough step, helping learners not only know how to use technology but also understand, apply and create with AI. This strategy will help Vietnamese education "take shortcuts, get ahead", and catch up with advanced education systems in the world.

However, Associate Professor Dr. Tuong Duy Hai stated that there are three major challenges: First, for teachers: Many teachers, especially at preschool and primary levels, have difficulty keeping up with new technology. Therefore, the solution is to “hold hands and guide”, learn from colleagues, and practice with the support of experts.

Second, in terms of infrastructure. AI requires powerful equipment and stable Internet. Therefore, a policy is needed to prioritize technology infrastructure, especially for disadvantaged schools. Third, in terms of education programs, there are not many AI programs closely linked to general education programs. Therefore, it is necessary to build a set of programs suitable for each level of education, so that teachers are not overloaded and students develop AI capacity based on existing subject knowledge.

From the above analysis, Associate Professor, Dr. Tuong Duy Hai believes that building a Strategy for applying artificial intelligence (AI) in education and training needs to focus on three key issues. Firstly, raising awareness and AI capacity for teachers, managers, and employees through the method of learning while doing, training linked to practical work needs. Training needs to go hand in hand with digital transformation so that teachers can immediately apply it to teaching and management.

Second, ensure personal learning devices (computers, tablets, smartphones) are connected seamlessly to the school's LMS system, helping students have a regular and continuous digital learning environment.

Third, build a suitable AI application education program. Accordingly, it is possible to integrate STEM/STEAM into subjects in the general education program. Thereby, students can both grasp basic knowledge and know how to apply AI to solve practical problems, and become familiar with scientific research.

Staff and teachers of Quang Trung High School - Dong Da (Hanoi) trained in applying AI and technology equipment to implement the 2018 General Education Program. Photo: NTCC

Reducing regional gaps

Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Sy Nam emphasized that when building the above Strategy, it is necessary to focus on the contents related to policy - technology - people - culture of education.

To do so, it is necessary to perfect institutions and policies such as: Building a general guidance framework for applying AI in education; clearly defining responsibilities and rules for handling when using AI in schools. Developing a competency framework and AI assessment criteria for learners and teachers.

Regarding human capacity development, Mr. Nguyen Sy Nam suggested that AI content could be integrated into the 2018 General Education Program, universities and vocational education according to a roadmap appropriate to each level of education. The teacher training program should be updated so that teachers are equipped with basic knowledge of AI before entering the profession.

Regarding building a technology ecosystem, the Director of the Center for Research and Digital Technology Transfer - recommends selecting and popularizing suitable AI tools for teaching and learning activities such as: Virtual teaching assistants, support chatbots, automatic competency assessment systems, etc.

At the same time, build an open data platform on education, allowing AI applications to perform analysis, forecast and support policy making. Invest in upgrading information technology infrastructure, ensure Internet connection and equipment at schools are good enough to apply new technologies.

Referring to the domestic and international cooperation policy, Mr. Nguyen Sy Nam emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation with domestic and foreign organizations, universities, and enterprises to research and develop AI educational technology. Strengthen the connection between universities and industry to train high-quality AI human resources. At the same time, it is necessary to deploy AI in conjunction with the cultural identity and educational goals of the country.

“In particular, the Strategy needs to focus on educating digital responsibility and ethics such as: Privacy, network security. The testing roadmap should be applied carefully and thoroughly researched before widely deploying at all levels of education, especially at the secondary level,” said Mr. Nguyen Sy Nam.

There is still a digital gap between regions such as urban, rural, mountainous and island areas. Therefore, Associate Professor, Dr. Do Van Hung - Head of the Faculty of Information and Library, University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) said that the implementation needs a step-by-step roadmap and support policies for disadvantaged areas such as: Investment in technology infrastructure, teaching and learning equipment for teachers and students, learning platforms, digital learning materials, etc.

Thereby, ensuring basic conditions for teaching and learning to achieve the minimum requirements for learners' digital competency. "When we successfully deploy digital competency, it will contribute to reducing the digital gap between regions across the country," Associate Professor, Dr. Do Van Hung commented.

According to Mr. Nguyen Sy Nam, it is possible to organize competitions for students on AI. Along with that, it is possible to organize intensive training courses for teachers and managers to raise awareness and skills in using new technology.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/di-tat-don-dau-bat-kip-nen-giao-duc-tien-tien-post746446.html