Prime Minister: All citizens must have equal access to education and training

The Prime Minister pointed out that it is necessary to focus on transforming the state from considering education and training as the work of the education sector to the common task of the entire political system, the entire people, and the entire society.

On the afternoon of August 22, chairing the national online conference to summarize the 2024-2025 school year and deploy tasks for the 2025-2026 school year, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh pointed out that it is necessary to ensure equal access to education and training; absolutely not to let students lack schools, classes, teachers, food, or clothing.

The conference was held in a direct and online format between the Government Headquarters and 34 provinces and cities. Also attending were Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long; Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Government agencies; leaders of central, provincial and municipal departments, ministries and branches.

Discipline-Creativity-Breakthrough-Development

The conference assessed that the 2024-2025 school year took place in the context of many positive changes in the domestic socio-economic situation. The political system was arranged in a streamlined, effective and efficient direction; implementing the Government's Action Program to implement Conclusion No. 91-KL/TW, dated August 12, 2024 of the Politburo on continuing to implement Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW on fundamental and comprehensive innovation of education and training. This is the school year marking the end of the term of implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, towards the 14th National Party Congress.

With the attention of the Party and State, and the close direction of the Government and the Prime Minister, the entire education sector has completed the Plan of tasks and key solutions for the 2024-2025 school year, achieving many important results. In particular, the institutions and policies for education and training development have been completed, with 83 documents issued.

The results of this school year are higher than the previous school year in all indicators of all levels/grades with 100% of provinces and cities maintaining and meeting the standards of universal primary and secondary education, 27% of provinces and cities meeting the standards of universal secondary education level 2 and 19% of provinces and cities meeting the level. The infrastructure for education and training is increasingly spacious, currently, nationwide, 89.6% of classrooms at all levels of public preschools and general schools have been solidified...

The Ministry of Education and Training has developed a Project to make English the second language in schools and submitted it to the Prime Minister for consideration; advised the Government to submit to the Politburo a Resolution on educational breakthroughs, including making AI an official subject in the education and training program; and strengthened management of extra teaching and learning activities.

International Olympic and international science and technology teams maintained their positions in the top 10 countries. For the first time participating in the International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad, Vietnam was in the top 4 countries; the International Informatics Olympiad team was in the top 8 countries, the Math Olympiad team was in the top 9 countries...

The whole country organized the 2025 High School Graduation Exam in a special context. Conditions to ensure quality such as teaching staff and facilities continued to be strengthened; digital transformation and application of artificial intelligence in education and training were promoted, with 24.55 million records connected to the national database being basically completed, 100% of candidates registered for the High School Graduation Exam and university and college admissions completely online, more than 10 million transcripts and more than 1.5 million High School graduation certificates were digitized.

The quality of vocational education and higher education has changed positively, increasingly meeting the training of high-quality human resources. Many Vietnamese higher education institutions continue to be named and increase their rankings in prestigious international rankings. In 2024, there will be 17 training institutions in the Asian university rankings; 9 higher education institutions in the world influential rankings.

The education sector said that the 2025-2026 school year is the first year to implement the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress; the Resolution of the National Assembly on the 5-year socio-economic development plan 2026-2030. The whole country will implement the Resolution of the Politburo on breakthroughs in education and training development; the Law on Teachers; the Resolution of the National Assembly on exemption and support of tuition fees for preschool children, general education students, and those studying educational programs in the national education system; the Resolution of the National Assembly on universalizing preschool education for children from 3 to 5 years old.

The theme of the 2025-2026 school year is "Discipline - Creativity - Breakthrough - Development," with 10 key tasks and solutions such as: Perfecting institutions, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of state management and innovating governance; innovating and improving the quality of education; ensuring fairness in access to quality education; developing a team of teachers and educational institution managers to meet requirements; improving the efficiency of state budget use, mobilizing investment resources to strengthen facilities and improve the quality of education and training...

Along with that, the industry modernizes higher education and vocational education, creates breakthroughs in human resource training, especially high-quality human resources associated with scientific research and innovation; strengthens international integration in education and training; promotes digital transformation and administrative reform in the field of education and training; effectively implements emulation movements and communication work throughout the industry.

The education and training sector has set 28 main targets. Of which, the rate of preschool enrollment is 94%; the rate of 6-year-old children enrolling in grade 1 is 99.70%; the rate of primary school completion is 99.5%; 24/34 provinces and cities have met the standards for universal primary education at level 2 and level 3. The rate of preschool teachers meeting training standards is 90%, primary school teachers meeting training standards is 91%, high school teachers meeting training standards is 100%; the rate of university lecturers with doctoral degrees is 34.50%...

Conference to summarize the 2024-2025 school year and deploy tasks for the 2025-2026 school year. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

Concluding the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed the position, role and importance of education and training, especially in the period of national development. The Prime Minister emphasized that in order to achieve the country's two 100-year strategic goals, the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, headed by the General Secretary, have paid great attention and issued many breakthrough development policies, including the "four pillars" that are being vigorously implemented. In the coming time, the Politburo will issue resolutions to create breakthroughs in the development of education and training, public health care, cultural development and state economic development.

Highlighting the highlights of the 2024-2025 school year, the Prime Minister pointed out: perfected institutions; streamlined apparatus; improved quality; professional exams; upgraded teachers; expanded integration; spacious facilities; developed science; and early blooming talents.

The Prime Minister acknowledged, highly appreciated, commended and warmly congratulated the important results that the entire education sector had achieved in the past school year, contributing significantly to the overall achievements of the country. The Prime Minister also frankly acknowledged that there were still many limitations, shortcomings and difficulties, challenges, such as: inadequate programs, fragmented scale, unbalanced professions, low ethics, lack of skills, insufficient teachers, unconnected networks, and passive funding.

Support lunch for students in land border areas from the 2025-2026 school year

Analyzing the situation in the coming time, the Prime Minister said that the Education and Training sector is facing an urgent need to innovate and develop breakthroughs, both to overcome shortcomings and "solve its own problems," and to contribute significantly to the successful implementation of new policies of the Party and State, creating a solid foundation for the country to enter a new era.

The Prime Minister pointed out that it is necessary to focus on transforming the state from considering education and training as the work of the education sector to the common task of the entire political system, the entire people, and the entire society; from equipping knowledge to developing comprehensive capacity of learners; it is necessary to innovate thinking, methodology, and approach in the direction that all citizens must have equal access to education and training, especially the disadvantaged, people in remote areas, and ethnic minorities.

The industry needs to build advanced, modern, unified programs and curricula that are suitable for the country's development; learning must go hand in hand with practice, real learning, real exams, real results; teachers must be a source of motivation and inspiration for students; family, society, and schools must be the foundation and support for teachers and students; students must absolutely not be left without schools, classes, teachers, food, or clothing.

Emphasizing the viewpoint that “students are the center, the subject - teachers are the driving force - schools are the support - families are the fulcrum - society is the foundation,” Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the entire education sector to focus on carefully preparing the necessary conditions for the new school year, including the nationwide online opening ceremony to the commune level on September 5, 2025, especially in the context of the first school year implementing the merger of administrative units and local government organizations at 2 levels, ensuring better achievements, clearer quality, and better results than the previous school year at all levels.

The Prime Minister noted that the education and training sector continues to improve institutions, enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of state management of education; focus on effectively implementing the Law on Teachers. The sector urgently completes and submits to the National Assembly amendments to the Laws on education, higher education, and vocational education; prepares to develop the Law on Lifelong Learning; promotes the reduction of administrative procedures, decentralization, and delegation of power associated with resource allocation and strengthens inspection and supervision of implementation.

Along with that, the industry prioritizes resources for investment in facilities and teaching equipment for preschool and general education institutions to meet the needs according to the Preschool Education Program and the General Education Program 2018; focuses on implementing the National Target Program on modernization and improving the quality of education and training for the period 2026-2035 after being approved by the National Assembly to increase investment in facilities and equipment for preschool and general education. The industry builds and develops a team of teachers with adequate qualities and capacities, equal to the task; overcomes the surplus and shortage of teachers, ensuring the principle of "where there are students, there must be teachers in the classroom"; builds a mechanism to mobilize artisans, artists, professional athletes, foreigners... to participate in educational and training activities in schools.

“The education sector must pay attention to developing education for children and students in areas with difficult socio-economic conditions, ethnic minority areas, mountainous areas, border areas, and islands; and implement the policy of supporting lunch for primary and secondary school students in border communes on the mainland from the 2025-2026 school year,” the Prime Minister noted.

The head of the Government requested the entire sector to focus on thoroughly grasping and synchronously, resolutely and effectively implementing the Resolution of the Politburo on breakthroughs in education and training development as soon as the Resolution is issued; continue to review and plan the network of preschool, general education, continuing education, education for the disabled, higher education and pedagogical colleges, and vocational education. Relevant parties will build primary and secondary boarding schools in 248 land border communes, initially piloting investment in building or renovating 100 schools in 2025.

Delegates attending the Conference to summarize the 2024-2025 school year and deploy tasks for the 2025-2026 school year. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

Stating the requirements to improve the quality of preschool and general education, the Prime Minister directed the implementation of universal preschool education for children from 3 to 5 years old; ensuring safety for children; adjusting and perfecting the general education program in accordance with reality; improving the quality of digital capacity development and artificial intelligence (AI); and gradually making English the second language in schools.

The industry needs to improve the quality of human resource training, especially high-quality human resources associated with scientific research and innovation; focus on training in the fields of knowledge economy, digital economy, green economy, circular economy, especially basic sciences, engineering, technology and new industries such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, high-speed railways, nuclear power; promote digital transformation, enhance the application of information technology; promote international cooperation and integration...

The Prime Minister assigned specific tasks to the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and localities in the spirit of 6 clear "clear people, clear work, clear time, clear responsibility, clear products, clear authority."

The Prime Minister reiterated President Ho Chi Minh's words: "Whether Vietnam's mountains and rivers become beautiful or not, whether the Vietnamese people can step up to the glorious stage to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's great powers or not, depends largely on your studies," pointing out that the education and training sector needs to deeply imbue Uncle Ho's teachings in carrying out the glorious mission and responsibility of "teaching letters and teaching people" to students, young generations - the future owners of the country.

The Prime Minister affirmed that the Party, the State, the Government, and the Prime Minister always understand and share the difficulties and hardships of the education and training sector, of more than 1 million teachers who are making tireless efforts, working tirelessly, day and night dedicating themselves to the cause of "cultivating people," as beloved Uncle Ho once advised us: "For the benefit of ten years, we must plant trees, for the benefit of a hundred years, we must cultivate people."

On the eve of the new school year, on behalf of the Government, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh wished the education and training sector and all teachers to always promote their sense of responsibility and enthusiasm for the profession, overcome all difficulties, persevere in the goal of fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education and training, and make an important contribution to bringing our country to steady development in the new era.

Source: VNP

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/thu-tuong-moi-cong-dan-phai-duoc-tiep-can-binh-dang-ve-giao-duc-dao-tao-2025082219314429.htm