The Ministry of Education and Training held a conference with directors of departments of 63 provinces and cities to deploy tasks for the 2023-2024 school year.

Comrade Nguyen Kim Son - Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Education and Training, together with Deputy Ministers Pham Ngoc Thuong and Ngo Thi Minh co-chaired the conference. Also attending the conference were representatives of leaders of departments, divisions, and units of the Ministry of Education and Training; representatives of Universities and Colleges; Directors of Departments of Education and Training of 63 provinces and cities.

Leaders of Nghe An province attending the conference included comrades: Thai Thanh Quy - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation; Bui Dinh Long - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Thai Van Thanh - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Provincial Department of Education and Training.

The conference was held to assess the implementation of tasks for the 2022-2023 school year for preschool education, general education, and continuing education; on that basis, agree on proposed directions and orientations for tasks for the 2023-2024 school year.

Speaking at the conference, on behalf of the provincial leaders, Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee Thai Thanh Quy respectfully sent to the leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training, delegates and distinguished guests attending the Conference warm welcomes and best wishes.

Informing the conference about the natural conditions, socio-economic development situation; along with the tradition of studiousness, hard work and determination to succeed of Nghe An land and people, especially the image of "Nghe An Scholar" becoming one of the typical cultural features, a source of inspiration and great motivation, the Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee said: Promoting the tradition of studiousness of the homeland, over the years, the Party Committee, government and people of Nghe An have always paid attention, cared for, and provided the most favorable conditions possible for education and training work.

With the view that education is the fundamental path to national prosperity, the top national policy; investment in education is investment in development, given priority in local socio-economic development programs and plans, the head of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee affirmed: The province has approached and focused on directing the construction and implementation of mechanisms and policies to promote educational development, digital transformation and innovation, improving the quality of education, commensurate with being the center of the North Central region in Education and Training.

Nghe An is also determined and persistent in directing the successful implementation of new educational models; focusing on forming and developing life skills, life values, global skills, preparing the necessary provisions to help students become digital citizens, global citizens to meet the requirements of building a digital economy, digital society and building a prosperous and happy society; at the same time, continuing to pay attention to motivating, encouraging, and promptly rewarding teachers and students in teaching and learning, widely implementing the learning society movement.

The Provincial Party Secretary affirmed: The conference is an opportunity for Nghe An province to listen to and learn from experiences and good and effective practices from localities across the country; to acquire, consult, exchange information, receive support and guidance from leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training, thereby better performing teaching and learning tasks.

On this occasion, on behalf of the provincial leaders, comrade Thai Thanh Quy sincerely thanked the Ministry of Education and Training for its important guidance and assistance, and thanked the timely coordination and sharing of other provinces in implementing educational tasks and supporting Nghe An students studying in localities over the past time. He hoped that in the coming time, he would continue to receive more attention, support and assistance so that Nghe An province could soon complete its development goal of becoming a fairly developed province in the North by 2025, and a fairly developed province in the whole country by 2030.

At the conference, through the assessment of the Ministry of Education and Training, it was shown that in the 2022-2023 school year, with the theme "Solidarity, creativity, striving to successfully complete the tasks and goals of innovation, consolidating and improving the quality of education and training", the education sector has overcome difficulties, strived to basically complete the key tasks and solutions set out.

In particular, the teaching staff has grown in number, gradually overcoming structural shortcomings. By the end of the 2022-2023 school year, according to preliminary statistics based on industry data, the total number of preschool and general education teachers is 1,234,124; an increase of 71,927 people compared to the 2021-2022 school year.

The sector has also effectively implemented preschool, general education and continuing education programs. Specifically, the country has 15,334 preschool education facilities. The number of children per class has increased compared to the previous school year. The rate of mobilizing children to go to school reached 70.4%, an increase of 4.6% compared to the 2021-2022 school year.

The number and rate of children attending school have both increased sharply compared to the previous school year, demonstrating the remarkable efforts of the entire sector and localities in overcoming difficulties to carry out their tasks.

Regarding general education, in the 2022-2023 school year, the whole country has 25,467 facilities with 1,976,744 students. The whole country has 63/63 provinces and cities maintaining and meeting the standards of universal primary education, of which 30/63 provinces and cities (46%) are recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training as meeting the standards of universal primary education level 3 (an increase of 4 provincial units, equivalent to 6% compared to the same period last year); 11 provinces/cities (17.5%) meeting the standards of universal lower secondary education level 2; 7 provinces/cities (11.1%) meeting the standards of universal lower secondary education level 3. The sector has also successfully organized the 2023 High School Graduation Exam, according to initial results, the national graduation rate reached 98.88%.

One of the difficulties facing the education and training sector is that there is still a shortage of teachers at all levels of public preschool and general education in many localities across the country. According to preliminary statistics based on industry data, the country is currently short of 118,253 teachers, an increase of 11,308 compared to the 2021-2022 school year (preschool increased by 7,887 people, primary school increased by 169 people, secondary school increased by 1,207 people, high school increased by 2,045 people).

MAKING A LARGE STEP FORWARD IN INSTITUTIONS AND POLICIES FOR THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING SECTOR

In the 2023-2024 school year, the entire education sector will continue to implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress; the Resolution of the National Assembly on the 5-year socio-economic development plan 2021-2025, the Action Program of the Government for the 2021-2026 term to implement the Resolution of the National Assembly on the 5-year socio-economic development plan 2021-2025; with the theme of the school year being: "Solidarity, discipline, innovation, creativity, striving to successfully complete the tasks and goals of innovation, improving the quality of education and training".

Concluding the conference, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son emphasized the key tasks in the 2023-2024 school year; in particular, the sector will shift from implementing accountability to promoting development by perfecting institutions and making great strides in institutions and policies.

Specifically, based on the summary of 10 years of implementation, the sector will prepare to submit a new Resolution to replace Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW dated November 4, 2013 "on fundamental and comprehensive innovation of education and training, meeting the requirements of industrialization and modernization in the conditions of a socialist-oriented market economy and international integration"; at the same time, it will develop and submit for promulgation the Law on Teachers.

The head of the Ministry of Education and Training also noted that the 2023-2024 school year will be a breakthrough year in implementing the 2018 General Education Program; accordingly, it is necessary to concentrate efforts to implement, ensuring the requirements of in-depth innovation in each subject, in teaching, learning, testing and assessment methods.

Minister Nguyen Kim Son also noted the need to pay attention to strongly implementing the building of school culture; preventing and combating school violence; and effectively implementing career guidance and orientation on a voluntary basis, without causing social outrage.

Comrade Nguyen Kim Son also requested that it is necessary to apply the experience accumulated from general education innovation to proactively prepare and test carefully before piloting the new preschool education program from the 2023-2024 school year;...