It is necessary to form 3 digital, social and green skills for students at all levels.

Giving opinions on the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Education, on the afternoon of October 22, at Group 16 including the National Assembly delegations of Da Nang city, Tuyen Quang province, and Cao Bang province, delegates proposed to add regulations to form digital skills, social skills, and green skills, ensuring the formation of a development axis connecting students, contributing to shaping the capacity of Vietnamese citizens in the new period.

The training program must ensure the formation of an interconnected development axis.

During discussions in Group 16, National Assembly deputies highly appreciated the Government's efforts in submitting the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Education Law. This is a necessary step to promptly institutionalize important Party resolutions on the development of education and training; and acknowledged that the draft Law has many progressive points such as recognizing digital diplomas, strengthening decentralization, etc.

National Assembly Deputy Quan Minh Cuong ( Cao Bang ) chaired the group discussion.

Emphasizing that "the national education system is a bridge leading Vietnamese citizens into a new era," National Assembly Deputy Duong Van Phuoc ( Da Nang ) argued that the draft law lacks the most important "supporting elements," namely digital skills, green skills, and social skills, along an interconnected development axis.

"This revised Education Law is a historic opportunity for us not only to 'update technology,' but also to shape the capabilities of Vietnamese citizens in the 21st century," the delegate emphasized.

National Assembly Deputy Duong Van Phuoc (Da Nang) speaks at the group meeting.

To supplement students' digital skills, social skills, and green skills, delegate Duong Van Phuoc proposed adding a separate clause to Article 30 clearly stipulating that general education must ensure the formation and development of minimum digital competencies (digital safety, data and information usage, digital thinking and computing, digital ethics) according to the educational level.

At the same time, the Minister of Education and Training is tasked with issuing digital competency standards and assessment tools. Article 19 adds a provision assigning the Government the responsibility to develop a national digital competency framework for learners, in line with the requirements of the global and regional labor markets.

"If we don't lay the foundation of digital skills for the younger generation, digital transformation will remain just a slogan, not a reality. A nation cannot enter the digital age with a generation still 'tied' to the old world's way of learning," emphasized delegate Duong Van Phuoc.

Sharing the same view, National Assembly Deputy Vuong Quoc Thang (Da Nang) suggested that the drafting agency should continue to research and establish regulations on equipping students with scientific thinking, research approaches, and methods to inspire scientific research activities at all levels of education. This would create a foundation for students to develop a passion for becoming scientists and ensure career guidance in scientific research activities from the secondary school stage.

National Assembly Deputy Vuong Quoc Thang (Da Nang) speaks at the group meeting.

Regarding social skills, the draft Law acknowledges the importance of "social and emotional skills" at the primary school level (according to the comparative and interpretive document of Article 30). However, some delegates noted that this competency pathway completely breaks down when students move on to lower secondary (junior high) and upper secondary (high) levels.

Drawing on the experiences of Finland and Norway, which have integrated social and emotional skills into all subjects – from Math to Science – to foster well-rounded individuals, Representative Duong Van Phuoc proposed amending Clause 2, Article 30 of the current Law to include requirements for developing social skills, emotional skills, and digital citizenship responsibility at the lower and upper secondary levels, ensuring the creation of a seamless competency roadmap. Simultaneously, teacher training should stipulate that teachers be equipped with the capacity to provide psychological and social counseling and support to students.

"The gap in social skills education is the root cause of problems such as school violence, a lack of conflict resolution skills, and disorientation upon graduation," the delegate emphasized.

At the same time, delegates also proposed legalizing green skills in Article 30, by adding a provision stipulating the content of integrated education on green skills (sustainable resource use, sustainable consumption, environmental safety, climate change adaptation) and citizenship for sustainable development; and assigning the Minister of Education and Training to regulate minimum assessment standards and provide guidance on organizing green experiential activities/projects.

Clarifying the scope of a unified set of textbooks.

The draft law amends and supplements Article 32 of the current law by separating the regulations on local educational materials into a separate clause (clause 2), not included in the clause on textbooks (clause 1), and revising the title of this Article to " Textbooks for general education and local educational materials" . It assigns specialized agencies under the Provincial People's Committee to organize the compilation of local educational materials, and the provincial appraisal council to appraise them.

Agreeing with the State's policy of providing a unified set of textbooks nationwide, National Assembly Deputy Ma Thi Thuy (Tuyen Quang) believes that this regulation helps ensure fairness in access to education, especially for remote areas, ethnic minority regions, and mountainous areas – where economic conditions, infrastructure, and teaching staff are limited.

National Assembly Deputy Ma Thi Thuy (Tuyen Quang) speaks at the group meeting.

The regulations on diplomas and certificates of the national education system in Clause 3, Article 1 of the draft Law have received attention and comments from National Assembly deputies, as this is a key content of the law, directly impacting the rights of learners and the effectiveness of state management.

"If the regulations are issued without clarity regarding the status of vocational high school diplomas and without a unified terminology for 'graduation' and 'program completion,' or without a mechanism for securing electronic diploma data, it will cause disruption in the education system and difficulties in practical management," emphasized National Assembly Deputy Dang Thi Bao Trinh (Da Nang).

National Assembly Deputy Dang Thi Bao Trinh (Da Nang) speaks at the group meeting.

While agreeing with the draft law's proposal to remove the requirement for junior high school graduation certificates and replace it with confirmation of program completion, Representative Dang Thi Bao Trinh noted that the amendments to Articles 28 and 35 of the current law still require junior high school graduation as a condition for further education, leading to internal contradictions within the draft law. Therefore, the representative requested the drafting committee to review and amend all relevant provisions, changing the phrase "junior high school graduation" to "completion of the junior high school program" to ensure consistency throughout the law.

Representative Vuong Quoc Thang also suggested conducting thorough research and impact assessments, and gathering opinions from directly involved stakeholders to ensure the feasibility of the regulation abolishing the issuance of junior high school graduation certificates. He also noted that, in addition to regulations on the application of electronic diplomas and digital transformation in education, it is necessary to supplement regulations on principles for managing, sharing, and securing data to enhance effectiveness and efficiency, and prevent the exploitation and use of information for personal gain.

The draft law adds Clause 4a to Article 85 of the current law on the National Scholarship Fund to contribute to the implementation of Resolution 71-NQ/TW of the Politburo on breakthroughs in education and training development.

Regarding this matter, National Assembly Deputy Pham Thuy Chinh (Tuyen Quang) noted that there is an overlap in the scope of application with the National Scholarship Fund and the Fund for Encouraging Learning, both of which are stipulated in the draft Law.

National Assembly Deputy Pham Thuy Chinh (Tuyen Quang) speaks at the group meeting.

Furthermore, off-budget state financial funds are characterized by their ability to perform tasks only during specific periods, lacking the long-term nature of state budget expenditures. Therefore, the representative suggested considering a mechanism similar to that used for the Learning Promotion Fund – where the fund's operating expenses would be covered by the state budget.

"Such regulations would clearly demonstrate the State's responsibility in creating human resources for the new phase, the phase of national development," emphasized Representative Pham Thuy Chinh. The representative also suggested that the draft Law should only stipulate the establishment of a National Scholarship Fund from the State budget; the establishment, funding sources, operating principles, and organizational and management methods should be detailed and guided by the Government.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/can-hinh-thanh-3-ky-nang-so-xa-hoi-va-xanh-cho-hoc-sinh-cac-cap-10392455.html