Prime Minister visits San Francisco University, promoting Vietnam-US educational cooperation

During his working trip to the United States, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited and spoke at the University of San Francisco (USF). Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

On the morning of September 18 local time (evening of September 18, early morning of September 19 Hanoi time), during his working trip to the United States, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited and spoke at the University of San Francisco (USF).

USF is a private Catholic university in San Francisco, founded in 1855, the first university in San Francisco and the second oldest university in California, part of the national university system of the United States.

USF has five schools, including the School of Arts and Sciences, the Schoolof Education , the School of Law, the School of Management, and the School of Nursing and Health Professions. Currently, USF has more than 80 undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, nursing and health professions and more than 60 graduate programs.

As of now, the number of Vietnamese students ranks third among international students at the University of San Francisco. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Speaking to the Prime Minister and the Vietnamese delegation, Father Paul J. Fitzgerald, SJ, the 28th President of the University of San Francisco, said that USF students come from all 50 states in the United States and 111 countries. USF has more than 117,000 alumni living in the United States and 139 countries.

Up to now, the number of Vietnamese students ranks 3rd among the international students of the school, with about 80 students (after China and India). The Principal assessed that Vietnamese students are all very intelligent and hard-working.

Speaking here, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his pleasure to meet with the school's management staff, lecturers and students; highly appreciated the achievements that USF University has achieved.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his pleasure at meeting with the school’s administrators, lecturers and students; highly appreciated the achievements that USF University has achieved. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The Prime Minister said that this working trip of the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation is even more meaningful as Vietnam and the United States are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Strategic Partnership (2013-2023) and have just upgraded it to the framework of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during President Joe Biden's recent visit to Vietnam.

According to the Prime Minister, the Joint Statement of the leaders of Vietnam and the United States emphasized that education and training cooperation is one of the focuses of the bilateral relationship, especially in training high-quality human resources, helping Vietnam achieve its development goals.

For its part, Vietnam identifies education as a top national policy with the policy of promoting lifelong learning; training high-quality human resources is one of three strategic breakthroughs.

The Prime Minister said that Vietnam always wants to seek and expand development cooperation opportunities with US educational and training institutions, including the University of San Francisco - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

In the overall bilateral relationship, the Vietnam-US educational cooperation has witnessed many strong developments in recent years, including the contribution of USF. Currently, there are about 50 joint training programs operating between Vietnamese and US higher education institutions.

Emphasizing the Vietnamese people's tradition of studiousness, "a word is a teacher, half a word is also a teacher", the Prime Minister said that Vietnam always wishes to seek and expand development cooperation opportunities with US educational and training institutions, including the University of San Francisco with its long history, long tradition and reputation worldwide.

The Prime Minister hopes and believes that the cooperative relationship between San Francisco University and Vietnam will continue and promote the achievements that have been made, and will develop further, with more diverse, extensive, effective and substantial forms.

The Prime Minister hopes and believes that the cooperative relationship between San Francisco University and Vietnam will continue to develop, with more diverse, extensive, effective and substantial forms. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The Prime Minister suggested that USF take the lead in the trend of cooperation between the two countries in education and training, identify Vietnam as a key cooperation point, provide more scholarships for Vietnamese students, focus on new areas such as innovation, digital transformation, green transformation, circular economy, sharing economy, etc.; create favorable conditions for foreign students, including students from Vietnam - a developing country with a transitioning economy.

On the basis of the framework of the newly established Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the United States, the specific contents of educational and training cooperation have been agreed upon by the two countries' senior leaders. The Prime Minister emphasized that promoting educational cooperation is in line with Vietnam's priorities, the trend of the times, and the direction of cooperation between the United States and Vietnam.

Congratulating the students from Vietnam who are enjoying very good educational conditions, the Prime Minister hopes that they will promote the spirit of studiousness, patriotism, national pride, strive to study and practice to achieve high results, both preserving the fundamental cultural values and promoting the desire to explore with modern thinking, mastering new knowledge and technology, affirming that Vietnamese people are not inferior in any field compared to the world; promoting the role of a bridge and a highly qualified workforce, contributing to the development of Vietnam and the United States, and to the relationship between the two countries.

Father Paul J. Fitzgerald, SJ, the 28th President of the University of San Francisco, said USF students come from all 50 states in the United States and 111 countries - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Regarding the sharing of the Principal, Father Paul J. Fitzgerald, SJ, about the contributions of religions in Vietnamese history , including the process of forming the national language, the Prime Minister agreed and shared that religions have made great contributions in the process of forming Vietnamese culture, in the cause of building and defending the country.

The Prime Minister recalled that in the 1945 Declaration of Independence, President Ho Chi Minh quoted the US Declaration of Independence, affirming the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness of each person.

The Prime Minister emphasized that as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country with a rich religious life, the Vietnamese State always consistently implements a policy of respecting and ensuring the freedom of belief and religion, the right to follow or not follow a religion of the people; ensuring equality and non-discrimination on the basis of religion and belief; protecting the activities of religious organizations by law, and creating favorable conditions for legal religious organizations with followers in Vietnam to operate.

"If anyone does not understand about Vietnam, about Vietnam's ethnic and religious policies, I would like to take this opportunity to ask the teachers and students of USF to explain it to them. We are also ready to invite everyone to visit Vietnam to witness the implementation of ethnic and religious policies in Vietnam. We Vietnamese have a saying: 'Seeing is believing'," the Prime Minister shared.

Reiterating the Vietnamese folk song "Gourd, please love the squash/Although they are different species, they share the same vine", the Prime Minister once again affirmed Vietnam's policy of great national unity and religious unity.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: The Party and State respect students' choices about study and work, but whenever they feel they can return home and make the best contribution to the country, they are welcome. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Also at the meeting, the Prime Minister directly answered many questions from USF students . The Prime Minister affirmed that the Party and State respect the students' choices regarding study and work, but whenever they feel they can return home and make the best contribution to the country, they are welcome.

The Prime Minister said that the Government has issued Decree 140/2017/ND-CP on policies to attract and create human resources from excellent university graduates and young scientists. Currently, agencies are continuing to research and develop new policies and regulations that are more appropriate and effective on this issue./.

Source: https://baotainguyenmoitruong.vn/thu-tuong-tham-dai-hoc-san-francisco-thuc-day-hop-tac-giao-duc-viet-nam-hoa-ky-363331.html