The Prime Minister launched the nationwide "Digital Literacy Movement".

Also attending were members of the Steering Committee: Comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia, Member of the Political Bureau, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department; Comrade Nguyen Xuan Thang, Member of the Political Bureau, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council; General Luong Tam Quang, Member of the Political Bureau, Minister of Public Security; and other members of the Central Committee of the Party who are members of the Steering Committee, leaders of central and local departments, ministries, agencies.

Previously, on November 18, 2024, General Secretary To Lam, Head of the Central Steering Committee on Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation, requested the launch and implementation of the "Digital Literacy Movement for the People".

At the ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, along with other leaders and delegates, performed the ritual of launching the movement and inaugurating the "Digital People's Education" platform at the following address:https://binhdanhocvuso.gov.vn/. Representatives from the Central Committee of the Youth Union, local authorities, and universities delivered speeches in support of the movement.

According to the leaders of the Ministry of Public Security, as the standing agency of Project 06, the Ministry of Public Security has chaired and closely coordinated with Hanoi University of Science and Technology, along with other ministries, sectors, and localities, to organize the construction, completion, and operation of the "Digital Popular Education" platform - a national training platform implemented, managed, and operated by the Ministry of Public Security and Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

In the near future, the Ministry of Public Security will coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology to issue technical standards for connecting with other digital platforms to effectively serve the national digital transformation. With its superior features, the "Digital Popular Education" platform is ready to be put into operation nationwide from April 1, 2025.

The "Popular Education Movement" is indispensable.

Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that this is an important task to concretize the Party's guidelines and policies in Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024, of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation; and to respond to and implement the directives of General Secretary To Lam on lifelong learning and the "Digital Literacy Movement" for the masses.

The Prime Minister commended and highly appreciated the efforts and effective coordination of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department, the Central Party Office, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education and Training, and related units in actively preparing for the implementation of this movement, as well as the information and propaganda work to ensure that the movement is widely and comprehensively implemented immediately after the launching ceremony with the spirit of putting the people at the center and ensuring that no one is left behind.

"If we recognize that science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation are objective requirements, strategic choices, and top priorities in the current revolutionary period, then we cannot ignore the comprehensive and holistic development of a digital society, a digital nation, and digital citizens; consequently, we cannot ignore the 'Digital Literacy Movement'," the Prime Minister stated.

According to the Prime Minister, the "Digital Literacy Movement" has significant and profound humanitarian importance for the country's development, demonstrating the Party and State's determination in the development of a digital nation, digital government, digital economy, digital society, and digital citizens, aiming for rapid, comprehensive, and sustainable development.

The Prime Minister recalled that 80 years ago, when the country had just gained independence, more than 95% of the population was illiterate. "Ignorance" became one of the three most dangerous enemies (along with "hunger" and "foreign invasion"), and the "Popular Education Movement" was born with the urgent goal of eradicating illiteracy and raising the cultural level of the people.

President Ho Chi Minh once said, "An illiterate nation is a weak nation"; therefore, raising the intellectual level of the people is a solid foundation for building an independent, strong, and prosperous nation. And in a short time, millions of Vietnamese people have learned to read and write, making a significant contribution to the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.

According to the Prime Minister, the "Digital Popular Education" movement is inspired by, inherited, and developed from, the "Popular Education" movement launched by President Ho Chi Minh. As General Secretary To Lam said about the "Digital Popular Education" movement with an open spirit: "This is not just an educational initiative; the 'Digital Popular Education' movement is also a bridge between the past and the future."

"By drawing on the lessons of history, we strive to build a society that is not only rich in knowledge but also strong in technology, ready for integration and development." The Prime Minister emphasized: "Knowledge is the key, technology is the door to a brighter future. To spread the 'digital literacy movement,' we need not only policies and support from the Government and social organizations, but above all, the people themselves are the main actors; they need to proactively learn, be ready to share and apply digital knowledge, and together build a progressive society in the new era."

"The country is facing a historic opportunity to enter a new era of strong development, driven primarily by science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation. We must undertake a particularly important and urgent task: to disseminate knowledge and technology related to digital transformation and digital skills to the entire population, that is, to eliminate illiteracy regarding digital transformation," the Prime Minister stated.

Let's review some of the outstanding achievements in the national digital transformation over the past period.The Prime Minister stated that the digital government has achieved many positive results, with the rate of online public services reaching 45%, and citizens logging into the National Public Service Portal using the VNeID platform, with over 93 million visits.

Digital infrastructure has developed strongly, 5G has been commercialized, and international internet speeds have increased significantly; 96.4% of villages have fiber optic internet, and 82.9% of households use broadband fiber optic internet.

The digital economy has made remarkable progress, contributing 18.3% to GDP, with an annual growth rate of 20%. E-commerce continues to develop strongly (reaching $28 billion in 2024, a 36% increase). Cashless payments are widely implemented (with an average annual growth rate of 57%).

Digital data has been built and its exploitation promoted, with 10 key national databases, including the national population database which has connected with 18 ministries and agencies, 63 localities, serving more than 1.8 billion queries.

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Three platforms have been deployed to implement the "Digital Literacy Movement," including: the One Touch open online learning platform and the MobiEdu open online learning platform (which has trained over 1.2 million officials, civil servants, and workers; and provided free digital skills training to over 40 million people); and the "Digital Literacy Movement" platform, which has trained 200,000 officials, civil servants, and members of the armed forces to date.

On behalf of the Party and State leaders, the Prime Minister acknowledged, highly appreciated, and commended the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department, the Central Party Office, the Ministries of Public Security, Science and Technology, Education and Training, enterprises, and universities for proactively and effectively implementing the tasks and solutions set forth, contributing to the extremely important initial achievements. This is the prerequisite and basis for successfully achieving the goals of the movement.

The Prime Minister also noted that, during the implementation of the movement, ministries, sectors, and localities, within their authority, must proactively propose and promptly reward good examples and advanced models. At the same time, they must identify those individuals, groups, and organizations that have not completed or paid sufficient attention to this movement in order to review and handle their responsibilities according to the regulations of the Party and the State.

Pointing out the shortcomings and limitations in digital transformation over the past period, the Prime Minister stated that the awareness and actions of Party committees, Party organizations, and governments at all levels, especially the leaders, regarding digital transformation are still limited. There still exists the mentality that digital transformation is something for someone else, not for oneself, one's unit, or one's agency.

The process of perfecting institutions, mechanisms, and policies is still slow and has not kept pace with the demands of reality. Ministries, departments, and localities basically do not have breakthrough plans for digital transformation.

The quality and efficiency of online public service provision and utilization are not yet high; many applications and systems have been developed, but they remain fragmented, incomplete, and lack large-scale, shared digital platforms. Data has been created, but it is still fragmented, not effectively connected, shared, or exploited, posing a potential risk of information leakage.

There is a shortage and uneven distribution of personnel specializing in digital transformation within agencies and organizations. Digital skills are not yet widely disseminated in society.

A nationwide, comprehensive, all-encompassing, and far-reaching movement, leaving no one behind.

In terms of guiding principles and ideology,The Prime Minister stated that the "Digital Popular Education" movement is closely linked in name, core values, and lessons learned from the previous "Popular Education" movement – ​​one of the most successful movements in the history of the Vietnamese Revolution.

Therefore, the "Popular Education Movement" must become a revolutionary, all-encompassing, inclusive, and far-reaching movement, leaving no one behind. The Party has directed it, the Government has agreed, the National Assembly has concurred, the people support it, and the nation expects it – so we should only discuss implementation, not retreat. For the movement to "last," it must bring practical results, harmonize individual and collective interests, and balance personal interests with the interests of the nation and the country.

This movement must be a crucial political task, a command from the heart, an intelligent thought from the mind, and a decisive action from every citizen; it must awaken and spread revolutionary fervor, the tradition of great unity, the spirit of self-reliance, self-confidence, self-strength, and national pride; it must be completed according to the set schedule; and the emulation of achievements should be directed towards commemorating major holidays in 2025 and welcoming the Party Congresses at all levels, leading up to the 14th National Congress of the Party.

Every Party member, official, and public servant must be a pioneer and role model in implementing the movement, creating a strong transformation in awareness and action; transforming the process of learning, training, and applying digital knowledge and skills into a self-driven need for each individual; accelerating the reduction of training costs; and aiming for completely free training for vulnerable people, those in remote areas, border regions, and islands. The spirit is "going to every street, to every house, guiding every person" and with the motto "Rapid deployment - Widespread connectivity - Smart application".

The Prime Minister proposed focusing on implementing "One objective, two areas of development, three guarantees, and four key tasks" in the movement's deployment.

One goalIt is about popularizing basic digital knowledge and skills for all citizens with a revolutionary spirit, encompassing all people, inclusive, far-reaching, and ensuring that no one is left behind.

Two promotionsincluding: (i) Promoting and mobilizing comprehensively and effectively the resources of the state, society, enterprises, and the entire population; (ii) Promoting the cultural traditions, love of learning, lifelong learning spirit, and aspiration for advancement of the Vietnamese people.

Three guaranteesThese include: (i) Ensuring transparent and appropriate mechanisms and policies for the practical and effective implementation of the movement; (ii) Ensuring smooth infrastructure, synchronization, connectivity, flexibility, avoiding formality and superficiality, and targeting the right audience; (iii) Ensuring efficient use of resources, enhancing transparency, and combating negativity, corruption, and waste.

Four key tasksincluding:

The firstThe task is to build a digital learning ecosystem (developing a nationwide digital learning platform, applying artificial intelligence and big data).

Monday,The task involves building mechanisms to encourage and motivate learning (integrating digital skills into labor evaluation and recruitment systems; providing incentives for disadvantaged groups; and encouraging business participation).

Tuesday, task of building and enhancing the capacity of the digital teaching staff (developing the team of digital lecturers and volunteers; mobilizing union members and association members to participate).

WednesdayThe task involves building mechanisms for inspection, supervision, and evaluation of effectiveness (developing evaluation mechanisms; promoting information and communication; implementing independent supervision from social organizations, the press, and the community to ensure transparency).

Regarding implementationTo successfully implement the "Digital Literacy Movement" with the determination, expectations, perspectives, and goals mentioned above, the Prime Minister requested that Party committees and governments at all levels, especially their leaders, take the lead in enhancing digital capabilities and promoting digital transformation in their localities and agencies. This should be considered a key task, linked to administrative reform and socio-economic development; creating conditions for people to access digital skills, services, and platforms, with people and businesses at the center and driving force of digital transformation.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations, the business community, and the people need to actively respond to the movement. Technology companies play a pioneering role in popularizing digital skills through appropriate platforms, services, and solutions; and work alongside the government and the people in the digital transformation process.

Furthermore, accelerate the implementation of the Project to enhance digital skills, integrating digital knowledge and artificial intelligence into general education. Invest in digital infrastructure, especially for remote and disadvantaged areas, and provide digital equipment to those in need. Promote community-based digital technology groups, along with digital family, digital rural, and digital urban models, to widely disseminate digital skills.

The Prime Minister has assigned the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education and Training to coordinate in developing a digital competency framework and appropriate materials for each target group. Officials, civil servants, and employees need to update and enhance their digital skills and use digital platforms effectively. Students should be equipped with digital knowledge to support their studies and protect themselves. Workers should know how to use smart devices to increase productivity. Citizens should be aware of essential digital services and safe online public services.

The Prime Minister requested the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department to take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Education and Training to regularly monitor and urge the implementation of the movement, promptly report the results to the Central Steering Committee; and guide media agencies to strengthen information and propaganda about the movement.

The Prime Minister also directed that the movement should be closely and organically linked with other ongoing movements, especially the "Nationwide emulation movement to build a learning society and promote lifelong learning in the 2023-2030 period". The role of mass open online courses (MOOCs) should be leveraged to meet the needs of a large number of people participating in learning and updating their knowledge on digital transformation and digital skills.

The Prime Minister requested that ministries, departments, and localities proactively provide learning materials on platforms, while also proactively reducing training costs on these platforms by 80%, and promoting public-private partnerships based on market mechanisms in the development and deployment of these platforms. He also tasked the Ministry of Science and Technology with promptly announcing the Ministry of Public Security's national open online course platform, using the VNeID application to identify learners.

The Prime Minister called on the entire Party, the entire people, the entire army, Party committees and organizations at all levels, the government, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, political and social organizations, social organizations, professional associations, businesses, entrepreneurs, educational institutions, scientists, organizations, communities, and everyone to actively join hands in responding to this particularly important movement. With high political determination, with the spirit of solidarity, creativity, and the strong aspiration for development of the nation, the "Popular Education Movement" will spread widely, creating motivation and inspiration for everyone, bringing benefits to all citizens and to the nation, all for the goal of building a strong, civilized, and prosperous country, where the people are increasingly well-off and happy.

Ha Van