Synchronous measures to increase quality of education and training

At the meeting, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan reported on the sector’s effort ineducation and training over recent years. Other leaders from relevant agencies gave opinions on solutions for fulfilling the targets set for the 2006-2010 period as part of the 10-year strategy for education development (2001-2010).

In this regard, PM Nguyen Tan Dung said education and training and science and technology have significantly contributed to the country’s common achievements during the Doi Moi (Renewal) process. Annually, around 20 percent of the total State budget is allocated to the education sector with the aim of boosting the development of the education system in terms of quantity and quality at all levels, from pre-school to higher education and vocational training.

Despite weaknesses in education quality, the education sector has in recent years made drastic changes in training human resources and updating the world’s advanced technology to serve the country’s socio-economic development and meet investors’ needs for high-quality human resources, said Mr Dung.

The Government leader affirmed that education and training is a top national policy, a foundation and a driving force behind the national development. The success of the country’s renewal process towards national industrialisation and modernisation will largely depend on that of education and training development.

Mr Dung voiced support for 5 solutions and nearly 40 specific measuresproposed by the Ministry of Education and Training. He asked the Ministry to increase the quality of education at all levels while raising the State’s management role in building institutions, creating a legal corridor and drawing up plans to pool all resources for education development till 2010.

Mr Dung also underscored the need to make a breakthrough in vocational training in order to provide employment for young people and reach the target of having 50 percent of workers trained by 2010. In addition, universities and colleges should work out short-term training programmes to satisfy investors’ requirements for qualified human resources. The MoET should accelerate the development of non-public schools and effectively implement the campaign say “no” to negative phenomena in examinations and “achievement” disease in the education sector. Furthermore, the education sector should pay more attention to supporting school fees for poor pupils and improving teachers’ living standards so that they can live on their salaries, thus helping them ursue their career and avoid education-related negative phenomena.

Mr Dung requested the MoET and relevant ministries and sectors to consider extending the teaching period for lecturers with doctorate degrees and a project to provide doctorate training for 20,000 people in the 2007-2020 period. He also agreed on the building of a 10-year national programme on increasing the efficiency of training and the use of English and other common languages to help Vietnam become a nation proficient in English.

Source: VOV