Former General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong

The moral qualities and legacy values ​​of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong are embodied in the spirit of lifelong learning. Learning here doesn't just mean learning in school, but also learning in the workplace, learning in life, learning anytime, anywhere.

Professor Mach Quang Thang stated that the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong had given many insightful, impressive, and impactful directives and speeches that resonated with people's lives… (Photo: Provided by the interviewee)

During his lifetime, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong always remembered the words of the young communist Pavel Korchagin, a character in the novel " How the Steel Was Tempered" by the Russian writer Nikolai Ostrovsky: "The most precious thing a person has is life and honor, because a person only lives once. One must live in such a way as to avoid regret for wasted years; to avoid shame for petty, cowardly actions that earn the contempt of others; so that when one closes their eyes in death, they can proudly say: All their life, all their strength, they have dedicated to the noblest cause in the world – the cause of national liberation, human liberation, and bringing happiness to the people."

One thing that people will always remember about the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is the admirable character of a man who, despite holding the highest leadership position in the Party and State, remained humble, simple, and exceptionally honest…

The World and Vietnam newspaper had an interview with Professor Mach Quang Thang, former Director of the Science Management Department of the Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy, and former Senior Lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy, on the qualities, ethics, and personality of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in educating today's young generation. Emphasis should be placed on character education to create decent and truly talented individuals in the future, aiming to achieve the goal of Vietnam becoming a developing country with modern industry and high middle income by 2030, and a developed country with high income by 2045, as outlined in the Party's Resolution.

An example of the spirit of lifelong learning.

Professor, in your opinion, what moral qualities – what are the legacy values ​​– of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong that should be promoted and disseminated among young people today?

In November 2020, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Nguyen Gia Thieu High School, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited his former teachers and school, sincerely and respectfully asking permission to address them as "I" (using the informal pronoun "em")… “I report to you, teachers, that I am now the General Secretary and President of the country (in 2020), but when I return to the school, I ask your permission to still call me Nguyen Phu Trong, a former student of the school. During the ceremony, the teachers also introduced me as former student Nguyen Phu Trong. I would also like to share my feelings about my student days, about the beautiful memories with my teachers and classmates.”

To attend the class reunion, he asked someone to drive him there on a motorbike. Meeting his teachers and friends, he said: “Please allow me, allow me to leave all titles and positions outside this room. I am here forever as a student of you all from those days. I am here forever as a classmate of yours…”

The General Secretary once said: "We are descendants of Uncle Ho, the Party is the Communist Party of Vietnam, the nation is the Vietnamese nation, this country must definitely develop and move forward, we must not fall behind other countries, and we must not accept being inferior to others. We must be determined and resolute in this regard."

In my opinion, his moral qualities – his legacy values ​​– are rooted in a spirit of lifelong learning. Learning here doesn't just mean learning in school, but also learning in the workplace, learning in life, learning anytime, anywhere – because "reality is also a strict teacher."

The results of studying and the cultural legacy left by the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong can be seen from the "assessment" of the people at his funeral. The people honored, respected, and showed him so much affection.

From his perspective, how important is character education, morality, and a simple lifestyle in the current social context, especially in the process of international integration?

The late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong gave many profound and impressive directives and speeches that resonated with the people's lives... In one speech, he said: With all humility, we can still say that our country has never had such a foundation, potential, position, and international prestige as it does today.

The current social context, both domestically and internationally, is quite complex. Everyone has a specific living environment, encompassing both natural and social environments. Therefore, I believe that today, character education, moral education, and lifestyle education are extremely important. The goal is to educate people in a way that preserves their inherent goodness. That is, to cultivate good character and clear intellect, to think and act correctly, to live virtuously, to love what is good, and to hate what is bad and evil. In modern times, even more emphasis should be placed on moral cultivation, encouraging a slower pace of life, a simpler and healthier lifestyle.

To effectively implement this slogan, what do we need to do to innovate teaching and learning methods and assess educational quality? How can we ensure that "genuine learning, genuine testing, genuine talent" truly becomes a reality, sir?

In my opinion, the best approach is to emphasize "genuine learning, genuine testing, and genuine talent," and to build a foundation of genuine learning. For this to become a reality, it requires not only the high responsibility of the education sector but also accountability from four "spaces": the school, the family, society, and the individual learner. Each space is crucial.

Schools should not only equip students with knowledge but also educate them in morality; they are about "nurturing people," but within that "nurturing people," emphasis must be placed on "cultivating moral character." To create talented individuals with good character, families must work together with schools, not leaving the education of children entirely to the school. At the same time, families should avoid putting pressure on students and teachers.

In the old days, the family should be a well-educated family, where grandparents and parents set a good example for their children and grandchildren. Society needs to focus on nurturing talent, so that the slogan "education and training is a top national priority" becomes a reality and is effective. Alongside this, students themselves must strive to improve, constantly learning and updating their knowledge to avoid falling behind in a world where technology is rapidly developing.

To raise talented individuals with good character, families must work together with schools. (Illustrative image: Nguyệt Anh)

Working together for the development of education.

Could you share your thoughts on the importance of education in building a civilized, modern country that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's leading powers?

The importance of education to the development of a society is something everyone understands. In my opinion, to assess whether a society is progressive, civilized, and modern, one should look at many indicators, especially the education development index, and not just rely on GDP.

In addition, other indicators should also be emphasized, such as: the Human Development Index (HDI); the Happiness Index (HI); the Global Innovation Index (GII)... That is, cultural development indicators, including education, should be highlighted, rather than just focusing on the annual growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or Gross National Product (GNP), as some people do.

What challenges does he see in educating young people about character and morality today?

There are many challenges, depending on one's perspective. One of the current challenges is the conflict between wanting to equip young people with as much knowledge as possible and educating them in ethics and character.

The Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party stated: “Fundamentally and comprehensively reform education and training, improve the quality of human resources, and develop human beings.” Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW of the 8th Plenum of the 11th Central Committee, dated November 4, 2021, outlined a breakthrough solution: “Strongly shift the education process from primarily equipping students with knowledge to comprehensively developing their abilities and qualities. Learning must go hand in hand with practice; theory must be linked to reality; school education must be combined with family education and social education.” After 10 years of implementing the above Resolution, on August 12, 2024, the Politburo of the 13th Party Congress issued Conclusion No. 91-KL/TW on continuing to implement Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW.

Therefore, let's overcome the challenges by doing our best to achieve the above goals, as well as putting into practice President Ho Chi Minh's words about learning: Learn to work, learn to be a good person, learn to serve the Fatherland and the people, and serve the Fatherland and humanity.

At the same time, this aligns with UNESCO's vision for 21st-century education with its four pillars: learning to know, learning to work, learning to live together, and learning to be. Certificates and diplomas are merely concrete indicators of a student's learning quality at a given time, not the goal of education and training, and certainly not a measure of an individual's competence.

What suggestions do you have for raising community awareness about the importance of moral education in order to create kind, socially responsible individuals?

When we talk about the community, we're talking about many factors: schools, families, society... I hope all these communities will join hands for the development of education, especially moral education for young people.

The goals set at the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam are that by 2030, Vietnam will be a developing country with modern industry and a high-middle income; and by 2045, it will become a developed country with a high income. To achieve these goals, we must start now with education, beginning with kindergarten children, because they will be the main force. Before achieving success and enriching their homeland, these children must first be decent, responsible individuals who love their country, cherish peace, and respect the historical values ​​that their ancestors have brought.

In the future, they must be people honored by the Party and loved by the people. This aspiration must go hand in hand with promoting comprehensive education for young people, with particular emphasis on moral education, character development, and lifestyle. And the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is a prime example in today's era for young people to learn from and emulate.

Therefore, to raise community awareness of the importance of moral education, we need to follow President Ho Chi Minh's viewpoint stated in the first page of his book "The Revolutionary Path" (1927), in the section "The Character of a Revolutionary": "Speaking must be done," as well as in his speech to representatives of intellectuals, gentry, and wealthy people of Thanh Hoa province in February 1947: "I call on the people of the province to roll up their sleeves and get to work," or in his article "Mass Mobilization" (October 15, 1949): "We need to think with our minds, see with our eyes, listen with our ears, walk with our feet, speak with our mouths, and work with our hands. It's not just about talking idly, just sitting and writing orders… we must honestly get our hands dirty." That is, action, action, action.

As the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized in his opening address at the 13th National Party Congress: “With all humility, we can still say that our country has never had such a foundation, potential, position, and international prestige as it does today. These achievements are the product of creativity, the result of a continuous and persistent effort over many terms by the entire Party, the entire people, and the entire army…”

This is a commendable achievement and further highlights the importance of educating young people in ethics, lifestyle, and character in today's era, in order to create true talents for the future who will contribute to building a stronger and more developed nation.

Thank you, sir!

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/co-tong-bi-thu-nguyen-phu-trong-tam-guong-sang-ngoi-ve-tinh-than-hoc-tap-suot-doi-284930.html