The event was held live and online from the main bridge at Phenikaa University, Hanoi with 63 bridge points in provinces and cities across the country.

Also attending the launching ceremony were: Vice President, First Vice President of the Central Emulation and Reward Council Vo Thi Anh Xuan; President of the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education, former Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan; Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son; Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat; Minister, Chairman of the Ethnic Committee Hau A Lenh; Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Education Nguyen Dac Vinh; leaders of central departments, ministries and branches; leaders of political-social organizations, professional societies, universities, colleges and vocational training institutions; leaders of 63 provinces and centrally run cities.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh launched the movement "The whole country competes to build a learning society, promote lifelong learning in the period of 2023 - 2030". Photo: VNA

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, since 2005, the Prime Minister has approved three projects on building a learning society in the phases of 2005 - 2010, 2021 - 2020 and 2021 - 2030. The implementation of these projects has brought about many important results. The network of continuing education facilities has been consolidated and developed rapidly in terms of quantity, diversified in models, and activities have brought about practical results to better meet the learning needs of the people.

Currently, there are 17,459 continuing education facilities nationwide. The number of private continuing education facilities is increasing rapidly, especially the system of information technology and foreign language centers. To date, 63/63 provinces and cities have achieved level 1 literacy standards and have achieved universal preschool education standards for 5-year-old children, universal primary education standards level 2 and universal lower secondary education standards level 1.

In addition to the achievements, reality shows that there are still limitations and barriers to building a learning society in Vietnam. Awareness of the work of promoting learning, talent promotion, and building a learning society is not at the right level. Lifelong learning activities outside of school are not diverse and rich, and operating conditions are still difficult. The participation of higher education institutions in the work of promoting learning, talent promotion, and building a learning society is still limited...

Launching the movement “The whole country competes to build a learning society, promoting lifelong learning in the period of 2023 - 2030”, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reiterated the words of beloved President Ho Chi Minh “… If you want to know, you must compete to learn. Learning never ends. Study forever to progress forever. The more you progress, the more you see the more you have to learn”.

According to the Prime Minister, promoting the nation's traditions and imbued with Uncle Ho's thoughts, while closely following the trend of the times as UNESCO has proposed "Learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together, learning to assert oneself"; in recent years, the cause of "cultivating people" has received special attention from the entire Party, people and army. Education and training are identified as the top national policy; investing in education is investing in development. The work of encouraging learning, encouraging talents, and building a learning society has attracted the attention of the entire society and has developed strongly in both breadth and depth throughout the country.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh with students at the launching ceremony of the movement "The whole country competes to build a learning society, promote lifelong learning in the period 2023 - 2030". Photo: VNA

The Prime Minister affirmed that our country's education has undergone important changes; the education network has been expanded across the country, especially in remote, border, island and ethnic minority areas; many weaknesses in education have been overcome; there are many rich, diverse and suitable types of training, providing learning opportunities for people of all ages.

In particular, the role of party committees, authorities, organizations and society, especially the Association for Promotion of Education, has been enhanced, making an important contribution to improving people's knowledge, training human resources and nurturing talents. The awareness of lifelong learning has been and is permeating every family, every clan, every residential area, every training facility, every region, and area...

Many clan, village and commune emulation movements for learning have been restored and strongly developed. Many places have effectively built and maintained "Learning Promotion Funds", with forms of praising, encouraging and rewarding the spirit of learning - a beautiful cultural trait, creating a great movement with wide influence.

There are many movements nationwide to learn foreign languages ​​and dance for the elderly in the city; to learn farming and animal husbandry skills in the countryside; to teach classes on boats for children in fishing villages in the river areas; to teach Vietnamese for ethnic minorities; to teach English in the highlands by teachers from the lowlands through audio-visual aids; to teach charity classes for orphans and disabled children, etc.

Many villages have become social phenomena such as the painting village, the village of farmers playing violins, the village of rice field women playing Western trumpets, the village of reading culture... There are examples of seniors who have persistently donated books for many years, built libraries, and promoted the reading movement in rural, remote, and disadvantaged areas. Especially the distance learning movement via the Internet during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister said that there are many examples of people with disabilities, typically teacher Nguyen Ngoc Ky, who, with extraordinary determination, have overcome their fate to contribute to the community and society. There are people over 60, 70 years old who still go to school every day; there are even people over 80, 90 years old, who overcome their age to complete the general education program, get university and master's degrees to fulfill their life's dreams that young people do not have the conditions to realize.

“These are truly new models, shining examples of the spirit of never-too-late learning, “learning, learning more, learning forever”; “Learning to work, to be a human being, to be a cadre, learning to serve organizations, unions, to serve the Fatherland, the nation and humanity”, contributing to our country achieving great achievements of historical significance after nearly 40 years of renovation”, the Prime Minister emphasized.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh acknowledged and commended the efforts and warmly congratulated the achievements that all levels, sectors and localities have achieved in promoting learning, talent and building a learning society; especially the important role of the education sector and the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education.

The Head of Government believes that we are living in a world that is constantly changing, an era of globalization and deep international integration with the Fourth Industrial Revolution that requires knowledge, understanding, skills, expertise and high adaptability. Therefore, the role of learning, training, self-improvement of knowledge and improvement of qualifications is especially important.

Uncle Ho's advice "The world is constantly progressing, those who do not learn are falling behind" still holds true today. The trend of lifelong learning and building a learning society has been focused on in many countries... To date, more than 1,000 cities around the world have participated in the "educational city, learning city" initiatives.

To create stronger changes in building a learning society, improving people's knowledge, training human resources, nurturing talents, ensuring equality in learning for all people, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested Party committees, authorities, sectors, socio-political organizations, socio-professional organizations, social organizations and the entire population to continue to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the Party and State's guidelines and policies on education, training, encouraging learning, encouraging talents, building a learning society, especially Directive No. 11 dated April 13, 2007 of the Politburo, Conclusion No. 49 dated May 10, 2019 of the Secretariat and Resolution No. 29 dated November 4, 2013 of the Central Committee...

Building an open, diverse, flexible, interconnected, modern, equitable, integrated education system that meets the requirements of the new situation. Raising awareness, responsibility and action of all levels, sectors, localities, social organizations and each citizen about the role of a learning society and the lifelong learning movement.

The Prime Minister requested to review and perfect the mechanism and policies on building a learning society in the direction of diversification, linking learning with practice, talent with virtue, suitable for each subject and each locality through new models and good practices; promote the activities of educational institutions and grassroots cultural institutions; support community learning centers, especially in border areas, islands, remote areas, ethnic minority areas and mountainous areas; create favorable conditions for all those who have learning needs to be satisfied; support the disadvantaged, those past working age, housewives, and people with disabilities to have favorable conditions for lifelong learning.

Notably, the Prime Minister directed to mobilize the joint contributions of the whole society to create a combined strength in terms of resources, material, will and determination, creating a breakthrough in the development of a learning society; encouraging equal development, according to the provisions of law for all types of training, without distinction between public and non-public, joint ventures and associations; focusing on consolidating the system of libraries, museums, and cultural houses; forming fixed and mobile libraries in each block, neighborhood and ward; encouraging reading culture for all ages and all classes of people; developing community learning centers and a continuing education system; eliminating the gaps in electricity and telecommunications waves, creating conditions for everyone and every household to access the Internet and new technological achievements; enhancing digital transformation and application of information technology.

The Prime Minister also proposed to build and promote the effective role of funds, village covenants, and conventions in clans, communities, agencies, and units to promote the lifelong learning movement; effectively implement the Program "Promoting lifelong learning activities in libraries, museums, and cultural centers until 2030"; promptly reward individuals and organizations that perform well and effectively, spreading good examples to everyone; promote cooperation and learn from international experiences in building and developing a learning society, applying open and distance learning technology, and building a learning city; acquire and develop new knowledge in the fields of science and technology that are the world's trends.

“We must join hands, unite, with high determination, great effort, drastic action, create motivation, inspire people to study, every family to study, the community to study, society to study, the whole country to study. Study anytime, anywhere, study in all fields to perfect ourselves in morality, intelligence, physical strength, and aesthetics. Study to contribute to building and protecting the socialist Fatherland of Vietnam; develop a strong and prosperous country; people are increasingly prosperous and happy; our country stands shoulder to shoulder with the great powers of the five continents, not inferior to any country in the world”, the Prime Minister wished.

The Prime Minister called on the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations, professional organizations, social organizations, unions, business communities, organizations and individuals at home and abroad to actively participate, join hands, contribute and respond to activities to encourage learning and talent, build a learning society, and contribute to realizing the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country.

After the Prime Minister launched the movement "The whole country competes to build a learning society, promote lifelong learning in the period of 2023 - 2030", representatives of the Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam Association for Promoting Education, provinces and cities: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Nghe An, Phu Tho spoke enthusiastically in response; committed to specific implementation and launching emulation throughout the system to contribute to the successful implementation of this emulation movement.

At the ceremony, the Prime Minister, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Minister of Education and Training, Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education and representatives of leaders of ministries, departments, branches and central organizations performed the ceremony of pressing the start button to commit to responding to the emulation movement launched by the Prime Minister.

After the launching ceremony of the movement "The whole country competes to build a learning society, promote lifelong learning in the period of 2023 - 2030", ministries, departments, branches, socio-political organizations, professional societies, social organizations, provinces and cities will deploy the emulation movement deeply, widely and regularly in agencies, units and localities, so that the entire political system and all people respond to the movement "The whole country competes to build a learning society, promote lifelong learning in the period of 2023 - 2030", contributing to promoting the development of human resources, especially high-quality human resources to meet the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and international integration.

VNA