General Secretary To Lam speaks at the ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the traditional day of the education sector and the opening of the 2025-2026 school year - Photo: NGUYEN KHANH
From the literacy campaign amidst the flames of war to today's integration into the global community, education has become a soft power driving the nation's progress.
It can be affirmed that education is one of the pillars that contributes to the enduring strength of the Vietnamese nation.
The survival power of the nation
From the very beginning of the nation's founding, President Ho Chi Minh affirmed: "An ignorant nation is a weak nation." This shows that education is not only a right but also a vital force for the survival of the nation.
In the context of widespread famine, illiteracy, and foreign invasion, the fight against illiteracy became an urgent task.
Images of literacy classes for the general public by the light of oil lamps or classrooms in bomb shelters are testaments to the thirst for knowledge.
After the reunification of the country, starting from a difficult point, education continued to affirm its role in creating human resources, contributing to significant progress: agriculture transformed from a food-scarce region into a rice exporting powerhouse; road and bridge construction, once dependent on foreign experts, is now undertaken by Vietnamese engineers; and the network of schools covers the entire country.
Universal education has been achieved, the percentage of the population graduating from high school has increased rapidly, and vocational and higher education have developed in both scale and quality.
Behind every socio-economic achievement lies the indelible mark of education. However, limitations remain: uneven quality, pressure from examinations and admissions, and inconsistent reforms, leading to the prolonged phenomenon of private tutoring.
Teachers and students at the Tăk Pổ highland school in Trà Tập commune, Da Nang city, at the opening ceremony of the new school year - Photo: LÊ TRUNG
Strong political will
Pointing out the limitations of education, General Secretary To Lam emphasized at the ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the traditional day of the education sector and the opening of the 2025-2026 school year: "...shifting from reform and adjustment to a constructive mindset - leading national development through education; using quality, equity, integration, and efficiency as benchmarks; tightening discipline in implementation."
In the context of educational reform in the spirit of Resolution 71, the General Secretary's statement affirmed a strong political determination: to universalize general education as soon as possible.
This is not just an emphasis, but a message for action: universal education must become a basic right, so that every child has the opportunity to complete their secondary education before entering adulthood.
Universalizing general education first and foremost lays the foundation for a high-quality workforce, which is a crucial condition for the country to thrive in the era of the knowledge economy.
For a nation to develop, it is essential to have a high-quality workforce. This resource doesn't just start at the university level, but more importantly, at the primary and secondary education levels.
Universal access to primary and secondary education is the "input material" for training highly skilled human resources. Without a secondary education foundation, higher education will be limited.
With foresight, the General Secretary set forth a constructive requirement: to transform universal general education into a strategic foundation for human resource development, considering education as the central driving force to lead industrialization, modernization, and international integration.
Universalizing general education also helps reduce exam pressure, alleviate family worries, and ease the burden on teachers. A humane highlight in the General Secretary's speech was the request to reduce the pressure of entrance exams to higher grades.
In reality, every year during the 10th grade entrance exam season, hundreds of thousands of students and their families experience the stress of facing a "catalyst for success." The high competition rate in major cities has turned this exam into a mental and financial burden.
The implementation of universal primary and secondary education will reduce the number of students who fail to reach high school, forcing them to take different paths with a sense of disappointment.
This is the solution to alleviate the pain: reducing parental distress, easing pressure on students, and curbing the frantic pursuit of extra tutoring. Then, tutoring becomes merely a supplement, rather than a life-or-death race.
Universalizing general education simultaneously contributes to the reallocation of resources, the creation of a healthy educational environment, and the improvement of substantive quality.
This requires building more school facilities and recruiting more teachers (which the General Secretary affirmed the State can handle). When all students have the opportunity to receive formal education, teachers will no longer be burdened by enrollment quotas or unequal stratification.
Teachers have the opportunity to focus on their mission: nurturing character, developing skills, and inspiring learning.
This is also a way to clean up the educational environment: when exam pressure decreases, and when "bribing" for admission is no longer a matter of survival, then the negative aspects of tutoring and extra classes will also decrease.
These urgent requirements demonstrate the special attention and long-term vision of the Party and the State towards education.
The single demand to "universalize general education as soon as possible" reflects the General Secretary's special concern and demonstrates the Party and State's determination to meet the legitimate aspirations of the people.
Behind that emphasis lies a long-term vision: to build a fair learning society where every citizen is equipped with the minimum necessary skills to integrate, work, and contribute.
This is a crucial link in ensuring social justice, improving the quality of human resources, and reducing inequality.
A turning point in thinking
With his far-sighted and passionate leadership, and his revolutionary spirit, General Secretary To Lam has specifically outlined the tasks that political and social organizations need to effectively carry out.
In those directives, universalizing general education is no longer a "long-term task" but has become an urgent requirement.
This marks a turning point in Vietnam's educational development thinking: placing people at the center, aiming for the well-being of millions of families, and using the future development of the nation as a benchmark.
Building upon the tradition of valuing learning and education over the past 80 years, universalizing general education as early as possible will continue to cultivate intellect, foster revolutionary spirit, and contribute to building a prosperous and powerful nation as President Ho Chi Minh always wished.
A milestone in the development of education.
Our country has achieved universal lower secondary education, so moving towards universal upper secondary education is a natural step we must consider.
If this can be achieved, I believe it will be a milestone in the development of Vietnamese education.
However, in the current context, I think we need a roadmap for universalizing high school education, implementing it step by step in an effective manner. The first step should be to prepare the schools and classrooms first.
On the other hand, I also suggest to the management that there should be a clear distinction between universalizing high school education and the enrollment process for 10th grade in public schools.
Since we have defined high school as a career-oriented level of education, it is not necessary for 100% of students who complete grade 9 to attend public grade 10.
After completing lower secondary education, students should be given the opportunity to choose from various educational paths: entering 10th grade at a high school (public or private), pursuing continuing education, or attending vocational school, etc.
MSc. NGUYEN VIET DANG DU
(Teacher at Le Quy Don High School, Xuan Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City)
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dau-an-lich-su-and-thong-diep-hanh-dong-20250906224858343.htm
