Resolution 71, a turning point for education and training

The Politburo has just issued Resolution 71 on breakthroughs in education and training development with specific and drastic goals and solutions.

Breakthrough from the roots

Resolution 71 sets the target that by 2030, general education will reach the advanced level of Asia. At least 8 higher education institutions will be among the top 200 universities in Asia, and at least 1 higher education institution will be among the top 100 universities in the world in a number of fields according to prestigious international rankings. Strive for at least 5 higher education institutions to be among the top 100 universities in the world in a number of fields according to prestigious international rankings. By 2045, Vietnam will be among the top 20 countries with the world's leading education systems.

By 2030, specific and important changes outlined in Resolution 71 include outstanding policies for teachers, students as the center, raising the quality of education to a new level, and strong investment in facilities. Strive to provide free textbooks to all students by 2030. Expand credit policies and financial support so that no student has to drop out of school due to difficult circumstances. The Resolution also sets the goal of gradually making English the second language in schools. Popularizing and strongly applying digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning.

Resolution 71 requires that school councils not be organized in public educational institutions (except for schools with international agreements). Implement the model of Party Committee Secretary concurrently being the head of the educational institution.

Dr. Le Duc Thuan, an education expert, commented that Resolution 71 is a breakthrough, comprehensive and strategic document, demonstrating the Party's high political determination in making education and training truly become a key driving force for the country's breakthrough development.

First of all, the Resolution has looked straight at the truth, systematically and deeply pointing out the inherent limitations and weaknesses of the education sector, from regional disparities, inadequacies in teaching staff, facilities, backwardness of university and vocational education, to "formalism" and the mentality of valuing degrees. The decisions made have a long-term vision and very specific goals, quantifying the development path of Vietnamese education to 2030, 2035 and a vision to 2045. The solutions are systematic and synchronous, a comprehensive approach to solving the root of the problem.

“In particular, I highly appreciate the viewpoint of placing learners at the center, teachers as the decisive driving force and the emphasis on close coordination between family, school and society. This is a modern, humane educational mindset that values the comprehensive development of people,” said Dr. Thuan.

Untie 4 big "knots"

Dr. Le Duc Thuan affirmed that Resolution 71 has directly removed at least four of the biggest "bottlenecks" that have been holding back the development of Vietnamese education for many years.

First is to untie resources and finance. The rigid regulation of state budget spending on education and training reaching at least 20% of total expenditure is a strong political commitment, solving the problem of chronic budget shortage. Along with that, the construction of a new National Target Program, preferential policies on land and tax will create a real boost in investment resources for the whole industry.

The second is the policy liberalization for teachers. The concern of teachers about “food and clothing are no joke for poets” has been heard. The decision to increase the preferential allowance to at least 70% for preschool and primary school teachers and 100% for teachers in disadvantaged areas is a direct solution with immediate impact, helping teachers feel secure in their work, dedication and retaining talented people in the profession.

Next is to untie the autonomy mechanism for university education. The resolution has clarified a controversial issue for many years: ensuring full and comprehensive autonomy for university education institutions regardless of the level of financial autonomy. This allows universities to truly make their own decisions on academics, personnel organization, recruitment of talented people (including from abroad) and not be bound by rigid administrative regulations. This is the key to creating elite, world-class research universities.

Finally, it is about untying the management mindset. The Resolution requires a fundamental transformation “from administrative management to development creation and modern management”. Along with the policy of promoting decentralization, delegation of authority, and reducing management units, this will eliminate bureaucracy and stagnation, create space for creativity and flexibility at the grassroots level, thereby improving management efficiency throughout the system.

From another perspective, an expert assessed that the role of professors and associate professors in Vietnam has finally been regulated according to international practice. Specifically, Resolution 71 requires professors and associate professors to be job positions at universities. Universities need to be autonomous in this matter to proactively develop expertise and attract talented people.

Students of National Economics University at the recent graduation ceremony. Illustration photo: Contributor

Experts believe that when the regulation comes into effect, professor and associate professor are just job positions and therefore must be accompanied by conditions regarding facilities, training capacity, research capacity, number of laboratories, topics/projects, number of doctoral students, and implementation budget. Previously, professors and associate professors only had titles and a slight increase in salary, now that they are job positions, they must certainly be accompanied by conditions to ensure this job position. And thus the system will improve, while also preventing the "inflation" of professors and associate professors.

Necessary and sufficient conditions

For such a breakthrough resolution to come into life and create real results, Dr. Thuan believes that both necessary and sufficient conditions need to be met.

The necessary condition is consistency and determination in implementation. The Resolution has clearly assigned tasks to each agency, from the National Assembly Party Committee, the Government to local Party committees. Rapid and synchronous institutionalization - the ideas and policies of the Resolution must be quickly converted into specific laws, decrees and circulars. The National Assembly Party Committee and the Government need to coordinate closely to institutionalize them into specific resolutions, amend the Law on Education, the Law on Higher Education and related documents to create a smooth legal corridor for innovation.

Resolution 71 is considered the 5th pillar, after 4 pillars: Resolution 57, Resolution 59, Resolution 68, Resolution 69.

Ensuring resources as committed with the commitment to spend at least 20% of the budget on education and allocating resources for the national target program must be implemented seriously. Resources here are not only financial, but also human, a team of managers with enough heart and capacity to implement the change.

The sufficient condition is to change the mindset at all levels. This is the decisive factor for success or failure. The Resolution emphasizes that the breakthrough must "start from innovation in thinking and perception". There must be a real revolution in the thinking of managers, abandoning administrative and bureaucratic ways of working, to a service and creative mindset. The teaching staff also needs to change, shifting from imparting knowledge to organizing and guiding the learning process of students.

The prerequisite for the successful implementation of Resolution 71 is that all levels and sectors must thoroughly grasp and act synchronously and resolutely, without half-heartedly abandoning the task." Dr. Le Duc Thuan, education expert

It is necessary to build a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the Resolution in a strict, independent and objective manner, with the participation of society and experts. The implementation results must be measured by specific indicators, linked to the responsibility of the leader, avoiding the situation of reporting achievements in a formal manner. Education is "the cause of the Party, the State and the whole people", so for the Resolution to be successful, there must be understanding, consensus and active participation from parents, students, businesses and the whole society. The media needs to play its role well to spread the spirit of innovation of the Resolution, creating a movement of emulation to study and build a learning society across the country.

“Only when all of the above factors converge can we turn the goals and breakthrough policies in Resolution 71 into reality, creating a developed and modern education system, contributing to making Vietnam strong,” said Dr. Thuan.