1. In his "Letter to Students" on the first day of school in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, September 1945, Uncle Ho addressed the students as "you" and referred to himself as "I". At the beginning of the letter, he clearly stated: "From this moment on, you will begin to receive a completely Vietnamese education ."
The speaker explained: "Previously, your fathers and, just last year, you yourselves, had to endure a slave education, meaning it only trained people to be henchmen and servants for the French colonialists. Today, you are more fortunate than your fathers and grandfathers because you are receiving an education from an independent country, an education that will train you to become useful citizens for Vietnam, an education that will fully develop your inherent abilities."
Clearly, here Uncle Ho emphasized the independence and autonomy of Vietnamese education, completely independent of external influences (of course, selectively absorbing the best and most progressive elements of advanced education systems around the world ). After 80 years, this is even more profoundly relevant, especially in the context of Vietnam's increasingly deeper integration into the region and the world. The independence and autonomy of Vietnamese education has been and continues to be the most important and fundamental factor in preserving, protecting, and promoting national cultural identity.
Furthermore, according to Uncle Ho, Vietnamese education has a very clear purpose: to train useful citizens for Vietnam and to provide comprehensive education, fully developing the inherent abilities of students. According to Associate Professor Dr. Tran Xuan Nhi, former Deputy Minister of Education and Training, "the letter laid the foundation for a new, humane, and people-centered education... Uncle Ho's letter to students can be considered a declaration of the new Vietnamese education system."
Uncle Ho's ideas from 80 years ago served as a guiding principle for the Party's issuance of Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW on fundamental and comprehensive reform of education and training, meeting the requirements of industrialization and modernization in the context of a socialist-oriented market economy and international integration, with strategic orientations: “Developing education and training means raising the intellectual level of the people, training human resources, and nurturing talents. Strongly shifting the educational process from primarily equipping students with knowledge to comprehensively developing their abilities and qualities. Learning goes hand in hand with practice; theory is linked to practice; school education is combined with family education and social education”; “Educating Vietnamese people to develop comprehensively and maximize the potential and creative abilities of each individual; loving their family, their country, and their compatriots; living well and working effectively.”
Notably, implemented since the 2020-2021 school year, the 2018 General Education Program is a major reform, shifting the focus from "teaching literacy" to "teaching character," helping students develop comprehensively in terms of qualities and abilities; strengthening life skills education, experiential activities, and career guidance; expanding elective subjects based on students' interests and career orientations; and innovating testing and evaluation in a way that promotes the progress of learners.
2. A year before his passing, during a very difficult and fierce stage of the resistance war against the US, and while President Ho Chi Minh's health was deteriorating, he still paid special attention to the education sector and to teachers. On October 15, 1968, on the occasion of the new school year, President Ho Chi Minh wrote "Letter to cadres, teachers, staff, students, and pupils at the beginning of the new school year." This was the longest and also the last letter he sent to the education sector.
The President joyfully praised the entire education sector: “In the context of a nationwide war, our education system has developed faster and stronger than ever before… Schools have made great efforts in competing to teach well and learn well, ensuring the safety of teachers and students, and making material and spiritual life increasingly progressive. Although the American aggressors relentlessly attacked the North, they not only suffered a disastrous defeat on the political and military fronts, but we also defeated them on the educational and cadre training fronts. This was achieved thanks to the correct policies of our Party, the heroic army and people; and also thanks to the teachers and students in the schools who together overcame many difficulties to successfully complete their tasks.”
In particular, the letter expressed the profound thoughts and philosophy of the beloved leader regarding education and training: Education is the undertaking of the masses. He instructed, "It is necessary to fully promote socialist democracy, build truly good relationships, and foster close solidarity between teachers and teachers, between teachers and students, among students themselves, among cadres at all levels, and between schools and the people to successfully accomplish this task." At the same time, "All sectors and levels of the Party and local government must pay even more attention to this cause, must take care of schools in all aspects, and push our education system to new levels of development."
Nearly six decades have passed, and President Ho Chi Minh's view that "Education is the cause of the masses" has been seriously and effectively implemented by the Party and the people of Vietnam. The entire country has completed universal preschool education for 5-year-old children; primary and lower secondary education has been firmly maintained and its quality has been gradually improved. General education has shifted positively from primarily equipping students with knowledge to developing their comprehensive qualities and abilities; the quality of mass and advanced general education is constantly improving. Continuing education has developed diversely in content and form; emulation movements in learning, promoting learning and talent, and building a learning society are being actively implemented.
Vocational education has grown significantly in quantity and has focused on improving quality, gradually better meeting the needs of the labor market. Facilities and teaching equipment have been improved, initially meeting the requirements of educational and training reform.
This is a crucial prerequisite for the nation's new era of development, enabling the country to continue perfecting the national education system in an open, flexible, and interconnected manner, promoting a learning society and lifelong learning; ensuring equal opportunities for access to quality education for learners; and effectively mobilizing investment resources to strengthen infrastructure and improve the quality of education.
Source: https://baodanang.vn/nam-hoc-moi-doc-lai-thu-bac-ho-3301074.html
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