General Secretary: Education needs to shift from 'corrective' reform to creative thinking

On the morning of September 5, at the opening ceremony of the 2025-2026 school year organized by the Ministry of Education and Training at the National Convention Center (Hanoi), General Secretary To Lam emphasized that education must not only impart knowledge but also nurture personality, physical strength, and soul to form a generation of "talented, compassionate, and resilient" people, meeting the requirements of national development in the new period.

The General Secretary assessed that over the past 80 years, Vietnam's revolutionary education has always been at the forefront: creating human resources, nurturing talents, and making a decisive contribution to the victory of the cause of national liberation, national reunification and development.

General Secretary To Lam speaks at the opening ceremony of the 2025-2026 school year. Photo: *Pham Hai*

However, it is necessary to seriously acknowledge that the quality of education is still uneven, with large regional differences. Fundamental and comprehensive innovation is not yet synchronized, and there is confusion in both awareness and action. University education is slowly innovating, and the linkage between training - research - labor market is not tight. Teaching methods in many places do not encourage creativity and self-study capacity. Facilities, digital transformation and international integration are still limited and inadequate. There is a period when education has not fully promoted its role as a driving force for development. These are issues that require us to resolutely overcome.

Our country is entering a new stage of development, with the goal of becoming a modern industrialized country by 2030, and a developed, high-income country by 2045. The Politburo recently issued Resolution 71 on breakthroughs in education and training development. To quickly put the Resolution into practice, the General Secretary suggested:

The entire Party must strongly innovate its leadership thinking on education, not imposing old standards on a modern education, but needing to closely and substantially direct, organize and implement resolutely and effectively, consistently considering education as the top national policy.

The National Assembly needs to continue perfecting the legal system, creating a smooth, stable and progressive legal corridor for the cause of education and training innovation.

The Government increases investment, ensures financial resources, facilities, and staff; at the same time, resolutely removes bottlenecks in mechanisms and policies to unblock and maximize all social resources for education.

The Fatherland Front, unions and social organizations need to promote the strength of great solidarity, encourage and spread the movement of the entire people to care for the cause of educating people.

Nha Trang.jpg — Ms. Le Hoang Viet Nga, Tan Lap 1 Primary School (in red ao dai) leads first grade students into school. Photo: Xuan Ngoc

The education sector needs to be a pioneer in innovation in thinking, methods, and management; building a team of teachers who are knowledgeable, ethical, and have a desire to contribute. Teachers must be shining examples and sources of inspiration for students. Students must nurture great ambitions and aspirations, study and practice to become global citizens, gradually integrating into international standards while always maintaining Vietnamese identity and soul.

The General Secretary emphasized a number of major orientations:

First, strongly innovate thinking and action. Shift from “corrective” reform to creative thinking – leading national development through education; taking quality – equity – integration – efficiency as measures; tighten enforcement discipline.

Second, ensure equal access to education and improve the intellectual level of the people. No child is left behind; prioritize remote, isolated, border, island and disadvantaged areas; increase investment in schools - school nutrition - teachers - digital infrastructure. Recently, we have exempted tuition fees for all students from kindergarten to high school; some localities have supported the provision of free lunch for children studying 2 sessions. The Politburo has also concluded on the investment policy to build inter-level boarding schools in 248 land border communes. In the immediate future, the pilot investment will complete the construction or renovation of 100 schools in 2025, to be completed by the start of the next school year at the latest.

Third, reform general education in a comprehensive direction. Not only imparting knowledge, but also nurturing personality - training the body - nurturing the soul, arousing civic spirit, sense of discipline and social responsibility; forming a generation of people who are "both talented, kind and resilient".

Fourth, create breakthroughs in higher education and vocational education . Universities must become centers for knowledge and technology production, and be the core of innovation and entrepreneurship; closely linking training, research and transfer with the country's development needs. It is necessary to form large universities of regional and international stature, modern vocational training facilities, to train high-quality human resources, contributing to the country's breakthrough in science and technology, industrialization and digital transformation.

General Secretary To Lam beats the drum to start the new school year. Photo: *Pham Hai*

Fifth, promote international integration in education. Integrate to learn from the best, narrow the gap, and spread standards; encourage joint training, program linkage, credit recognition, lecturer-student exchange, and attract international scholars; thereby enhancing the status of Vietnamese education.

Sixth, take care of building a team of teachers and educational administrators. Teachers are the soul of education, the decisive factor in the success or failure of innovation. Teachers not only impart knowledge, but also sow aspirations, foster personality, and light up beliefs in students. Therefore, teachers themselves must constantly study, be creative, and set exemplary examples. The Law on Teachers passed by the National Assembly is the foundation to ensure the improvement of material life, rights, and legitimate interests, while improving professional standards, ethics, responsibilities, and social status of teachers.

Seventh, promote digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) in education. Turn technology into a catalyst for fundamental and comprehensive innovation: flexible teaching and learning, open learning materials, safe and humane digital platforms; improve digital capacity for teachers and students; ensure data security and safety.

Eighth, prioritize investment in education. Investing in education is investing in the future of the nation. Master planning, arranging the system (especially public universities) to form a training - research - innovation center on par with the region, reaching international level; using public spending effectively, not spreading it out; strengthening public - private cooperation, strongly mobilizing social resources to join hands in the cause of cultivating people.

Ninth, building a learning society, lifelong learning. In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, knowledge changes every day, every hour; what is advanced today may be outdated tomorrow. Therefore, learning is not only a personal need, but must first be seen as a political responsibility, a permanent revolutionary action of every citizen. At any age, field or profession, we must learn to avoid falling behind, learn to master knowledge and technology, learn to develop ourselves and contribute to building a strong and prosperous country.

Building a learning society and encouraging lifelong learning is the most solid foundation for a self-reliant nation. It is not only the baggage of each individual, but also the core value of the nation, ensuring that our nation advances with the times, affirming the Vietnamese spirit and intelligence in the international arena.

To students, the General Secretary advised: The previous generation achieved victory with blood and bones. Today, in peace, integration and aspirations to rise up, the responsibility of your generation is to achieve new victories with knowledge - courage - creativity. He hopes that the young generation will set clear goals; practice self-discipline in self-study; nurture a passion for discovery; Improve capacity, master digital technology and artificial intelligence in a smart, safe and humane way; Know how to love, share, and live responsibly with themselves, their families and the community.

"Young students should practice well the five teachings of Uncle Ho; high school students need to cultivate their personality, civic awareness, enrich their knowledge and nurture their aspirations; students should nurture great ambitions, dare to think, dare to do, be at the forefront of science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, green economy and international integration, study and practice to become useful workers for their families and society," said the General Secretary.

Regarding teachers, the General Secretary assessed them as a team that is quiet, persistent, sacrificing, and making great contributions to the cause of "cultivating people". He expressed his deep gratitude and sincere thanks to generations of teachers. In the new period, the General Secretary hopes that teachers will continue to set an example, innovate methods, and lead students on the path of knowledge and personality; pioneer digital transformation, guide students to use technology (especially artificial intelligence) in a creative, effective, safe, and humane way; actively participate in contributing to policies, improving the quality and equity of education.

At the end of his speech, General Secretary To Lam beat the drum to officially start the new school year.

At the ceremony, student Kieu Tuan Dinh (Hanoi University of Science and Technology) represented students nationwide to express his determination to study and practice to contribute to making Vietnam a developed country by 2045.

On this occasion, to recognize the outstanding achievements of the Ministry of Education and Training in state management of education and training, the President decided to award the First Class Labor Medal to the Ministry of Education and Training.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son reviewed the sector’s 80-year journey, from an illiteracy rate of nearly 95% in 1945 to universal education, expanding the school network and achieving many international achievements. He called the 80-year journey “a miracle, a miracle”.

On behalf of the Ministry of Education and Training and the entire sector, Minister Nguyen Kim Son spoke in response, accepting and fully comprehending the General Secretary's instructions, orientations and requirements. Especially the instructions on renewing thinking, shifting from reform and editing to creation and development. And the intention and striving to carry out universal education at the high school level and equivalent, along with many other instructions.

Ministries and branches will immediately implement the General Secretary's instructions, along with implementing Resolution 71 from the beginning of this school year.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, the education sector leaders also expressed their emotion at the special affection and concern of General Secretary To Lam for the cause of educating people. On the eve of the new school year, when many schools in the provinces were affected by storms No. 5 and No. 6 and floods, the General Secretary directed that the damage must be immediately overcome, with the highest focus so that no school could not open; at the same time, he requested the Ministry of Education and Training to report the situation daily. The education sector affirmed that it will strive to do better to respond to the trust and expectations of the Party, State and people.

This year's opening ceremony, for the first time, 26 million students nationwide performed the flag-raising ceremony at the same time, via live television.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/giao-duc-can-chuyen-tu-cai-cach-chinh-sua-sang-tu-duy-kien-tao-2439520.html