Hanoi (VNA) 🍌– The new school year 2023-2024 will witness innovations within the education sector, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son has told the media. 

This new school year is themed “Solidarity, discipline, creativity, continued innovation, and improving the quality of education and training”. The ministry has identified key tasks for the year. The first task is to continue implementing the roadmap of general education reform including the launch of new programmes for 4th, 8th, and 11th grades and preparation for new programme for 5th, 9th, and 12th grade. The second task is to continue to innovate general education in depth, in every subject, every content, and every activity. The third task is to give more support to teachers so that they can meet the requirements of in-depth innovations. This school year, the sector will review ten years of implementing Resolution 29 on fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education and training, and at the same time, identify orientations for educational development for the next stage. Another major task is to draft the Law on Teachers which is expected to be completed and submitted to the National Assembly in 2024. In addition, the sector will review important relevant laws such as the Law on Higher Education. The sector will also strengthen the implementation of school culture, school psychology, building happy schools, and school violence prevention and control. The ministry will pilot a new preschool education programme. Meanwhile, continuing education will also have innovations relating to facilities, teaching staff, and testing. Minister Son said when implementing those tasks, the sector has both advantages and disadvantages. One of the biggest advantages is that the Party, National Assembly, Government, and people pay much attention to the education and training sector, providing great support to the sector during its reforms. As teachers and students are getting used to the new general education programme, the sector considers it an advantage to make further changes. However, localities face a shortage of resources to implement reforms for education and training. Regarding higher education, Son said that it is in a period of transformation in terms of model, governance, state management, operations, teaching and learning methods, industry structure, and resource use. Universities now must act as driving forces for innovation and start-ups. Academic autonomy and the role of lecturers are important factors that contribute to developing the force of scientists and liberating creativity, building a favourable environment for teachers to promote their abilities. As science and technology are developing and innovating rapidly, scientists must be better and better. One of the autonomy rights is about developing a force of scientists and experts. Good teachers can help nurture good students.  Besides international publications, we also need studies that help solve the country's issues. That is the social responsibility of higher education, the nature of intellectuals. In the coming time, to promote university autonomy, there will be many things to do including amendments to the Law on Higher Education 2018. In addition, it is necessary to deploy specific policies to develop basic science, pedagogical fields, and key fields. Policies are needed to discover and nurture talents, especially leading scientists./.