Politburo directive on universal education and adult literacy.

On behalf of the Politburo , Standing Committee Secretary Truong Thi Mai signed and issued Directive No. 29-CT/TW (dated January 5, 2024) of the Politburo on the work of universal education, compulsory education, adult literacy, and promoting student streaming in general education.

The Vietnam News Agency respectfully presents the full text of the Directive:

After 10 years of implementing Directive No. 10-CT/TW, dated December 5, 2011, of the Politburo on universal preschool education for 5-year-old children, consolidating the results of universal primary and lower secondary education, strengthening student streaming after lower secondary education, and eradicating adult illiteracy, significant results have been achieved. The Party and State have paid attention to directing and prioritizing resources for universal education, especially in areas with particularly difficult socio -economic conditions, ethnic minority areas, border areas, islands, and remote areas. The whole country has completed universal preschool education for 5-year-old children; maintained and improved the quality of universal primary and lower secondary education, and in some areas with conditions, implemented universal upper secondary education. Adult illiteracy eradication has seen positive progress, encouraging newly literate individuals to continue their studies to prevent relapse into illiteracy. Vocational education and student streaming after lower secondary school are receiving more attention, creating conditions for high school graduates to choose suitable paths, access careers, and engage in lifelong learning.

Locals receive meticulous instruction on each stroke of the pen in a literacy class for the elderly on Tri An Lake. Photo: Le Xuan/TTXVN

However, the institutionalization and implementation of the Directive have not been consistent; the rate of children accessing preschool education remains low; some localities have not paid sufficient attention to developing preschools and classrooms; the quality of universal education is not yet truly solid, and disparities between regions are still significant; awareness of vocational education is inadequate, and the goal of student streaming after lower secondary education has not been achieved; in some areas, the results of adult literacy programs are not sustainable, especially in ethnic minority and mountainous regions; the network of schools and classrooms does not meet the needs of lifelong learning and building a learning society; the shortage of teachers at all levels of education is increasing and has not been thoroughly resolved, especially preschool teachers and teachers of new subjects in the general education curriculum.

To improve the quality of universal education, eradicate adult illiteracy, and promote student streaming in general education, the Politburo requests that Party committees, Party organizations, governments, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and political and social organizations effectively implement the following key tasks and solutions:

1. Focus on leadership and guidance, strengthen mobilization and propaganda efforts, and raise awareness and responsibility among Party committees, Party organizations, the political system, cadres, Party members, and the people, especially leaders and managers, regarding the significance and importance of universal education, compulsory education, adult literacy programs, and student streaming in general education, contributing to raising the intellectual level of the population and training human resources for the industrialization and modernization of the country.

To create a strong transformation and improve the effectiveness of implementation, ensuring that all citizens of eligible age fulfill their educational obligations, completing universal education and compulsory education; focusing on equipping newly literate individuals with essential knowledge and skills, maintaining and enhancing the sustainability of adult literacy programs, and prioritizing functional literacy; strengthening career counseling and student placement after lower secondary education to match abilities, aptitudes, aspirations, and circumstances, providing opportunities for continued education; creating conditions for working-age individuals to create their own jobs or change careers, adapting to societal changes; and simultaneously developing an open education system to create opportunities for lifelong learning and build a learning society, contributing to human resource training, balancing the occupational structure, developing education in conjunction with socio-economic development, and strengthening national defense and security.

Diversify propaganda and mobilization efforts through practical forms suitable for each target group, especially learners and their families; strengthen the participation of mass media and leverage the advantages of oral communication; promote the application of digital technology, social networks, and the Internet. Timely commend and replicate exemplary learning models and localities that perform well.

2. Improve the system of policies and laws, create synergy and interconnectedness, and enhance the quality of universal education, compulsory education, adult literacy programs, and post-secondary student streaming to meet the set requirements.

The focus should be on prioritizing investment in the development of preschool education, general education, continuing education, and vocational education; policies should be implemented to address the challenges posed by the expansion of private and independent schools; the quality of universal education, compulsory education, and adult literacy programs in disadvantaged areas where results are not yet stable should be maintained and improved; vocational training should be supported, creating conditions for secondary and high school graduates to choose appropriate educational programs, facilitating the transition between educational programs, continuing education, lifelong learning, and articulation between vocational education levels and higher education levels; and the application of science and technology, digital transformation, and effective exploitation of open educational resources should be promoted to contribute to sustainable human resource development and create equal opportunities in accessing education.

3. Fundamentally and comprehensively reform the content, programs, and methods of training and developing preschool, primary, and vocational education teachers towards standardization, modernization, democratization, and gradually approaching the standards of advanced countries. Focus on cultivating and improving the qualities, ideology, ethics, and pedagogical competence of teachers. Improve the quality of teacher training and development institutions, linking them with the human resource planning of the education sector. Concentrate investment on developing a number of key teacher training universities and establishing several satellite teacher training colleges as the core for training high-quality teachers and educational administrators. Effectively implement linkages between teacher training colleges and localities in developing plans for recruiting, training, and developing teachers at all levels, ensuring sufficient numbers, balanced structure, and suitability to practical needs, and promptly addressing teacher shortages and surpluses.

Continue to innovate policies on salaries, recruitment, employment, incentives, and attracting teachers, ensuring the necessary conditions for them to perform their duties well; implement policies to encourage and provide incentives for teachers working in areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions and in specialized educational institutions.

4. Enhance the leading role and responsibility of state management, ensuring the effective implementation of the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws; strengthen resources and ensure budget allocation to achieve the goals of universal education, compulsory education, literacy eradication, and student streaming in general education, prioritizing universal preschool education for children aged 3 to 5. Consolidate the state management apparatus for education and training from the central to local levels; promote decentralization and delegation of power; strengthen inspection, supervision, and strictly handle violations.

Continue to improve the network of schools, classrooms, facilities, and teaching equipment, ensuring conditions for preschool education, general education, continuing education, and vocational education in a standardized, modernized, and socialized manner, linked to the national education system plan, national, sectoral, and territorial plans. Pay particular attention to developing the network of schools, school branches, and classrooms; ethnic boarding schools, boarding classes for children from disadvantaged families, and semi-boarding classes in mountainous, remote, and disadvantaged areas.

Promote socialization, creating favorable conditions for individuals, businesses, and domestic and foreign organizations to invest in building schools and classrooms, especially private kindergens and nurseries in industrial zones, export processing zones, densely populated urban areas, remote areas, and areas with difficult or extremely difficult socio-economic conditions.

5. Implementation

- Provincial Party Committees, Municipal Party Committees, Party Committees at all levels, Party Committees at all levels, Party Groups, and Party Committees directly under the Central Committee are responsible for disseminating, thoroughly understanding, developing programs and plans, and regularly inspecting and monitoring the implementation of the Directive.

- The Party Committee of the National Assembly and the Party Committee of the Government shall direct the review, amendment, supplementation, and improvement of relevant legal documents; the National Assembly, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, and the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education shall strengthen supervision of the implementation of policies and laws on universal education, compulsory education, adult literacy, and student streaming in general education.

- The Party Committee of the Government directs the development of specific targets by 2030; programs and plans for implementation; and regular inspections and monitoring of the implementation of the Directive.

- The Party Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, political and social organizations, the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, and mass organizations should strengthen their work in mobilizing and propagating the people; improve the effectiveness of social supervision and criticism to contribute to the effective implementation of the Directive.

- The Central Propaganda Department shall preside over and coordinate with the Party Committees of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, and other relevant agencies to guide, monitor, inspect, and supervise the implementation of the Directive, periodically conduct preliminary and final reviews, and report to the Politburo and the Secretariat.

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