On the afternoon of October 24, the Party Committee of the Ministry of Education and Training held a conference to study and implement Politburo Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW on Breakthroughs in the Development of Education and Training.
Permanent Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong reiterated the strategic, groundbreaking, comprehensive, long-term and highly actionable nature of Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW, and thoroughly grasped the important contents of this resolution from the perspective of direction, objectives, tasks and solutions…
At the conference, representatives from the Ministries of Education, Training and Universities presented the contents they have implemented to proactively implement Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW and reiterated their determination to effectively put the Resolution into practice.
At the conclusion of the conference, Minister Nguyen Kim Son said that the process of drafting Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW reflects the vision of the Politburo, the Secretariat and the Secretary-General – the vision of developing education and training in line with national development.
The Minister reiterated the very important issues raised by the Secretary-General which are related to the three words “human”: “human” – development of people in the new era; “Human resources” – preparing human resources for the new era; “Talent” – in an increasingly fierce competition between the countries of the world, talent must be the decisive factor.
According to the Minister, when talking about the spirit of Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW, the central guiding principles and the implementation orientation aspects, each phase can be summarized in three “key words”:
The three key concepts in developing the resolution are: action, practicality and feasibility. In the guiding ideology of general and vocational education, the three key concepts are: modernity, quality and fairness. The implementation perspective includes three key concepts: determination, speed and efficiency.
The implementation of Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW will usher in a new revolution in education, according to Minister Nguyen Kim Son. In particular, the content of the resolution: “Education and training are the supreme national policy and determine the future of the nation” shows the vision, guiding principle, trust and unparalleled positioning of education and training. Therefore, every teacher and education manager must have appropriate attitude, awareness and action so as not to betray the trust of the Party and the people.
The minister pointed out that among the tasks that need to be completed immediately and regularly, the need for a comprehensive and profound renewal of thought and consciousness is the highest priority. In particular, one must be aware of one’s mission in the new era and be fully aware of the role, mission and responsibility of the industry. Every teacher and education manager must recognize this in order to take on the responsibility assigned to them. At the same time, one must face the truth, the shortcomings, weaknesses and the “diseases” that still exist in order to make better adjustments.
The Minister also emphasized the awareness and full implementation of the guiding ideology in Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW on the comprehensive and thorough leadership role of Party organizations, especially Party organizations in educational institutions, especially universities and vocational training institutions.
Another point is awareness and reflection on the role, leadership and leadership of the state in the entire education system. Maximum social resources are mobilized, but the state plays the leading role.
The tasks to be completed to implement Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW are clearly set out in the action program of the Government and the Ministry of Education. In his concluding remarks, the Minister highlighted a few points:
First: The essential content of the resolution must be institutionalized. If everything goes according to plan, from January 1, 2026, all four laws in the field of education and training will come into force (Teachers’ Law, Law amending and supplementing certain articles of the Education Law, Law amending higher education, Law amending vocational training). At the same time, a number of new regulations and circulars will be issued.
Given the institutional foundations for the new education system, the Minister called on teachers and educational leaders at all levels to carefully examine the laws to avoid errors, delays, omissions or errors in implementation. This is an important and urgent task that must be implemented vigorously. Research must be proactively pursued as early as the document drafting stage.
Secondly, it is about structuring the educational institutions in the national education system so that they become stronger and investments are more targeted, targeted and effective. For public universities and vocational training institutions, it is necessary to appoint the party secretary at the same time as the head of the educational institution. The Ministry of Education and Training is developing a plan to ensure smooth and seamless operation of the new system after the new laws come into force.
Submit three bills on education to the National Assembly
On the morning of October 22, Minister Nguyen Kim Son submitted three bills to the National Assembly on behalf of the Prime Minister, including: a law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Education Law of 2019, a law on vocational education (amended), and a law on higher education (amended).
These three bills are closely related and were developed simultaneously to institutionalize the party’s key policies, particularly Resolution 71-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in education and training development. The aim is to eliminate bottlenecks in the education system, increase the autonomy of training institutions and at the same time ensure quality, effectiveness and efficiency. In addition, the requirements of decentralization, administrative reform and streamlining of the apparatus should be met.
The draft laws were examined by the Committee on Culture and Society, commented on by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly and received by the Ministry of Education and Training. This completes the documents that will be presented to the National Assembly in the September 2025 session. The drafting process is carried out at high speed and complies with the provisions of the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents.
Regarding the draft law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Education Law of 2019, Minister Nguyen Kim Son said: The draft law institutionalizes the main contents of Resolution 71-NQ/TW, such as establishing compulsory lower secondary education, universalizing preschool education for children aged 3 to 5, developing state policies on science, technology, digital transformation and application of artificial intelligence;
A national database for education and training should be established; a nationwide uniform set of textbooks should be introduced; no school boards should be formed in public institutions; the national scholarship fund is to be increased; the model of gifted schools and boarding schools should be renewed; Lecturers and teachers should be encouraged to live at scientific institutions and universities. The draft also specifies the structure of budget spending as well as tax and land incentives for educational institutions.
The draft law supplements secondary vocational education with high school, specifies the orientation of the educational program after middle school and stipulates that diplomas and certificates can be issued in paper form, electronically or digitally. At the same time, local teaching materials will be separated from textbooks and the compilation and approval will be delegated to local authorities. Additionally, educational support services and staff will be added. The regulations on investments and investors in the education sector are being completed.
The amended draft law on vocational training eliminates overlapping regulations, standardizes training activities and improves management capacity and transparency in the use of financial resources and assets. Many important innovations have been added: the vocational school model, the recognition of learning outcomes and acquired professional skills, an institution with cooperating teaching staff, the expansion of cooperation with foreign investments, and regulations on institution standards and training program standards.
The amended draft Higher Education Law focuses on perfecting the autonomy mechanism, consolidating the organizational and governance model in public and private institutions, establishing a mechanism for stopping enrollment and withdrawing admission for weak majors, setting program standards and standards for higher education institutions, ensuring a substantive and transparent Accreditation and improving the reputation of the system.
The draft also aims to modernize higher education by promoting academic freedom and integrity, developing a digital higher education model, promoting connectivity and international integration, ensuring a 3 percent budget for higher education, promoting science and innovation, and introducing talent attraction strategies and fair and effective tuition fees and scholarships.
Vocational Education and Training Department Truong Anh Dung led the discussion.” width=”900″ height=”582″/>On the afternoon of October 23, the Ministry of Education and Training held a conference on Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Continuing Education (CTE) in 2025. Minister Nguyen Kim Son and Vice Minister Le Quan chaired the conference.
According to a report by the Ministry of Education and Training, as of September 2025, there were 1,163 vocational training institutions in the country, of which 55.5% were non-public institutions. In 2024, a total of 2.43 million people were enrolled; Of those, 430,000 are in college and middle-level education, the rest in elementary schools and other programs. In the first six months of 2025, the number of people enrolled was around 1 million, or 60% of the plan. 245 universities have participated in the joint enrollment system with universities, thereby contributing to a more transparent and connected learning environment.
The quality of training has improved significantly: over 80% of graduates have a job, 70-75% of which are in the area in which they were trained. Many schools have a 100% employment rate.
The continuing education system is stable with 20,621 centers nationwide, including 582 continuing education and vocational training centers, more than 10,000 community learning centers and foreign language information technology centers.
The total number of students in the continuing education program reached 26.3 million, including nearly 469,000 in the senior program, 91,548 in the literacy program and 1.18 million in the vocational training program, an increase of over 600,000 people compared to the previous school year.
The literacy rate for people aged 15 to 60 reached 99.1% at Level 1 and 97.7% at Level 2, a slight increase compared to 2024. Across the country, 55/63 provinces meet Level 2 literacy standards, reflecting continued industry efforts to narrow the learning gap in ethnic minorities and mountainous regions.
Continuing education centers and community learning centers have become the core of the lifelong learning movement. More than 24.5 million people take courses to update specialized skills and knowledge.
In addition to the results, the field of vocational education and training still has shortcomings, such as slow document progress, unsynchronized financing mechanisms, limited quality of training in difficult areas and a lack of facilities.
At the conclusion of the conference, Minister Nguyen Kim Son said: “Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW calls for rapid modernization and quality improvement of vocational education, building a learning society and promoting lifelong learning. This is an excellent opportunity for the vocational school system to develop strongly and reaffirm its role in training highly qualified specialists to meet the needs of socio-economic development to do justice.” The minister urged educational institutions to carefully consider mechanisms and strategies to capitalize on this opportunity.
In addition, the minister cites the reorganization and restructuring of the system of vocational education and training institutions as one of the most important tasks. The consolidation and streamlining of the focal points should aim to improve quality and avoid formalities.
Regarding the system of vocational and continuing education centers, the minister reiterated that mechanical training should not be converted to a vocational school model. This model will be introduced separately for secondary school students to ensure effective rationalization. The vocational training and further education centers would have to gradually return to their actual function, namely training and skills development for adults.
The Ministry of Education and Training is developing a national target program for the modernization and quality improvement of education and training for the period 2026-2035. The focus is on improving the quality of higher education and vocational training. Investment capital will be targeted, with priority given to qualified schools with prepared plans.
With regard to the teaching staff, the minister called for the need to expand the opportunities for teacher training abroad and at the same time to review the training needs of teachers in the vocational school system – an area in which there is currently a significant shortage.
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