On August 19, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the conference to summarize the 2023-2024 school year and deploy tasks for the 2024-2025 school year organized by the Ministry of Education and Training.

At the conference, the Prime Minister said that the 2023-2024 school year marks 10 years of the education sector implementing educational innovation in the spirit of Resolution 29. The entire education sector has made efforts and achieved many outstanding results.

The sector continues to perfect institutions and create a legal corridor to carry out fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education and training; advise the Government and the Prime Minister to issue decrees, resolutions, projects and plans on education and training development; and actively complete the Draft Law on Teachers.

The work of universalizing preschool education, primary education, secondary education and eliminating illiteracy continues to receive attention from localities, creating favorable conditions, such as building semi-boarding and boarding schools to mobilize the maximum number of school-age children. According to the Prime Minister, this is a very humane policy so that students in remote and isolated areas have equal access to education.

In addition, the Ministry of Education and Training continues to coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs to add 27,826 positions for the 2023-2024 school year. On that basis, localities have organized the recruitment of 19,474 teachers. To date, the teaching staff has been developed in quantity, gradually overcoming structural shortcomings, and the rate of qualified teachers has increased at all levels.

In addition, the whole industry continues to promote digital transformation, the quality of mass and spearhead education is improved, the innovation of general education programs and textbooks is gradually stabilizing...

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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the conference to summarize the 2023-2024 school year and deploy tasks for the 2024-2025 school year. (Photo: MOET)

In addition to the achievements, the Prime Minister said that the education sector still faces difficulties and limitations. For example, the quality of the teaching staff is uneven and there is still a shortage of teachers in some areas.

“Policies and incentives are still inadequate, unattractive, and difficult to attract and retain teachers, especially in big cities or difficult areas,” said the Prime Minister.

In addition, the planning of educational facilities network in some localities is not suitable, there is still a shortage of schools, especially in areas with high population density, ethnic minority areas, mountainous areas, and areas with especially difficult economic conditions.

Facilities and teaching equipment are still lacking and do not meet the requirements of educational and training innovation. In some localities, there are still borrowed classrooms; many educational institutions lack functional rooms and minimum teaching equipment.

On the eve of the new school year, the Prime Minister requested the education sector to carry out key tasks, including carefully preparing conditions for the new school year, organizing the opening ceremony on September 5, creating a joyful and exciting atmosphere for the new school year. In particular, the important task is to improve the quality of the teaching staff to better meet practical needs.

In addition, the sector focuses on implementing Conclusion 91 of the Politburo, ensuring effectiveness and practicality; continuing to review, amend and promptly supplement institutions, mechanisms and policies on education and training innovation, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of state management of education; summarizing and comprehensively evaluating the implementation of innovation in general education programs and textbooks.

2025 is the first year to organize the High School Graduation Exam according to the new General Education Program. The Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Education and Training to preside over and, together with ministries, agencies and localities, prepare carefully to organize the exam to ensure quality, safety, seriousness, efficiency, practicality, compactness, reduce pressure, and create the most favorable conditions for students.

The Prime Minister also requested to promote autonomy in conjunction with improving the quality of university training in a practical and in-depth manner, linked with accountability, publicity and transparency; continue to create a favorable environment to attract investment resources for education and training development, ensuring fairness and equality between the public and private sectors; promote public-private cooperation; and promote non-profit education and training at the university level.

In addition, it is necessary to develop, review, amend and supplement appropriate policies and remuneration regimes for the teaching staff; carry out recruitment and restructuring of the teaching staff according to the assigned payroll, overcome the surplus and shortage of teachers in educational institutions, ensure the principle of "where there are students, there must be teachers in the classroom" and be suitable for practice.

"The Ministry of Education and Training, ministries, sectors and localities need to pay attention to construction planning, ensuring suitable land funds to build schools and classrooms, meeting learning needs associated with urbanization trends and population shifts," the Prime Minister directed.

'It's difficult to recruit teachers due to low salaries' Ms. Tran Thi Dieu Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, said that currently, it is very difficult to recruit teachers of Information Technology, English, Fine Arts, and Music in Ho Chi Minh City due to low salaries.