President Ho Chi Minh and the educational reform movement through his letters.

1.Immediately after the August Revolution of 1945, President Ho Chi Minh outlined three urgent tasks: combating famine, combating illiteracy, and combating foreign invasion. Thus, "illiteracy" was considered a threat no less serious than famine and foreign invasion.

 

In September 1945, on the occasion of the first school opening day of the Democratic Republic, President Ho Chi Minh sent a letter to all students with the following message:"Whether the Vietnamese nation will become beautiful and prosperous, and whether the Vietnamese people will reach the pinnacle of glory to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's leading powers, depends to a large extent on the academic achievements of our students."⁽¹⁾.

Amidst the arduous days of the resistance war against America, in October 1968, President Ho Chi Minh sent a letter to schools at the beginning of the new school year, reminding them:"No matter how difficult the circumstances, we must continue to strive for excellence in teaching and learning."”⁽²⁾This is the last letter the author sent to the education sector before his passing.

In the period between those two letters, President Ho Chi Minh repeatedly mentioned education during his visits to schools and in letters praising individuals or units that achieved good results, from kindergarten teachers and adult literacy teachers to officials and students in secondary schools and universities. From this, we can glean many valuable insights into Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on education that we need to understand and internalize.

2President Ho Chi Minh never once used the term "philosophy of education," but through his words and writings, three main themes regarding education emerge: why learn, what to learn, and how to learn. In other words, the purpose of education, the content of education, and the methods of education – the core issues of education, of "philosophy of education."

Abouteducational purposeHe pointed out that the education system of an independent country must train useful citizens, an education system that can fully develop the inherent abilities of students. In a letter to professors and students of the University Preparatory School (Thanh Hoa) in 1952, he stated that "education must aim at the goal of honestly serving the people."⁽³⁾In 1955, after the liberation of North Vietnam, he pointed out: It is necessary to build a teaching and learning ideology that serves the Fatherland and the people. To achieve this, it is necessary to vigorously eradicate the remaining influences of subservient education, such as: indifference towards society, detachment from the working life and struggles of the people; learning for the sake of obtaining degrees; and rote learning. In another letter, he emphasized: “Families, schools, and society all care for education with the aim of making our children become good citizens, good cadres, and good masters of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the future.”⁽⁴⁾These teachings reveal the core issue in Ho Chi Minh's thought on education, which is, first and foremost, thathuman issuesTraining teachers and students to serve the Fatherland and the people, and to cultivate useful citizens for the country. That is the fundamental and overarching purpose of education throughout any period of history.

Abouteducational contentIn an article published in the Nhan Dan newspaper on October 24, 1955, under the pseudonym CB, President Ho Chi Minh outlined the content of education as encompassing physical education, intellectual education, aesthetic education, and moral education. Physical education aims to improve physical health and hygiene; intellectual education involves reviewing what has been learned and acquiring new knowledge; aesthetic education helps distinguish between beauty and ugliness; and moral education fosters love for the homeland, the people, labor, science, and public property ("the five loves"). He noted the differences between educational levels to develop appropriate educational content.elementary,We need to educate people about the "five things to love".⁽⁵⁾"Cultivate honesty and courage; at school, respect teachers and friends, be united and help each other; at home, love and help parents; in society, participate in activities that benefit the common good to the best of one's ability. Teaching methods should be gentle and cheerful, not forcing children into the rigid framework of adults. Special attention must be paid to maintaining the children's health."^{(6. )}LIVEhigh school,"Ensure students acquire solid, practical general knowledge that is relevant to the needs and future development of the nation, while omitting any parts that are unnecessary for real life."⁽⁷⁾. LIVEuniversity"It is necessary to combine scientific theory with practice, diligently study advanced theories and sciences... and combine them with the realities of our country, in order to practically contribute to the cause of national construction."⁽⁸⁾What Uncle Ho taught us is to choose knowledge wisely.common, reliable, practical, and suitablethat is the proposalcriteriaThese are the basic knowledge that students need to acquire and should be considered as such today.mottoThis involves streamlining the curriculum, reducing the workload by removing parts that are unnecessary for real-life situations.

In a letter sent to officials, teachers, staff, and students on the occasion of the start of the new school year in October 1968, he emphasized:Building upon a solid foundation of political education and ideological leadership, we must strive to improve the quality of culture and professional skills.aimingpractical"To solve the problems posed by our country's revolution and, in the not too distant future, to reach the pinnacles of science and technology."⁽⁹⁾The issue of improving cultural and professional quality aims not only to address the demands of national practice but also to advance towards the pinnacles of world science and technology. This is both a requirement and an encouragement for the scientific staff in schools.

Abouteducational methodsHe pointed out that education must be closely linked to the political line of the Party and the State, and to production and the lives of the people. Learning must go hand in hand with practice, and theory must be linked to reality. For students, learning needs to be linked with practice so that in the future they can achieve the noble goal of serving the people. He always reminded them how to coordinate school education with the general political propaganda and education of the people. Clearly, "learning and doing," and "theory combined with practice" have always been the guiding principles of education, which President Ho Chi Minh repeatedly instructed teachers, students, and the entire education sector.

3.What needs to be done to achieve the above? Two issues stand out in the letters of the Leader:education reformandBuilding a team of teachers.

With the birth of independent Vietnam, our education system shifted from a colonial education system dominated by the colonial regime to a democratic education system led by the people. Therefore, as early as July 1948, President Ho Chi Minh promptly put forward the requirement...education reformWith very specific content: The education program must be thoroughly revised to suit the cause of resistance and national reconstruction; there must be textbooks on resistance and national reconstruction for schools; teaching methods must be reformed to suit the training of talents for resistance and national reconstruction; new cadres must be trained and old cadres assisted in accordance with the principles of resistance and national reconstruction; for the majority of the people who are already literate, there must be a program to further raise their general education level.⁽¹⁰⁾This was the directive for a comprehensive educational reform encompassing policies, curricula, textbooks, and personnel "to align with the cause of resistance and national reconstruction." In 1951, in a letter to the National Education Congress, he instructed that "the reform work regarding curriculum, policies, and implementation must be thoroughly reviewed to identify shortcomings for correction and strengths for further development."⁽¹¹⁾.

President Ho Chi Minh always paid attention toteam of teachersHe affirmed that the task of teachers is very important and very glorious. He advised: Working in kindergarten means replacing the mother in teaching children. To do that, one must first love children. Young children are often fussy, so one must be persistent and patient to raise and educate them. Teaching children is like planting saplings. If you plant saplings well, the children will grow up to be good people. He honored the team of teachers in the popular education movement, those who "expanded general knowledge for the people, to build a basic cultural foundation for the nation."^{(12 )}They are "unsung heroes," so "no bronze statue or stone monument can equal that honor."⁽¹³⁾Regarding teachers, the author wrote: "Teachers have the heavy and glorious task of training cadres for the nation."⁽¹⁴⁾He also reminded Party committees and local authorities of their responsibility to pay more attention to the cause of education, to take care of schools in all aspects, and to encourage the support of families and parents: "From the past until now, our people have wholeheartedly supported the work of education. I hope that from now on, our people will try to help schools even more, and everyone will strive to learn on their own."⁽¹⁵⁾.

From the above quotations, it can be seen that Ho Chi Minh's thought on the cause of education is distilled in defining the purpose, content, and methods of education; the glorious responsibility of "training those who will continue the great revolutionary cause of our Party and people."⁽¹⁶⁾"Education is the undertaking of the masses," with the participation of all strata of the people. Adhering to Ho Chi Minh's educational philosophy, the education reform during the resistance war successfully fulfilled its arduous mission, effectively serving the "resistance war and national reconstruction" cause of the entire nation.

4.Entering a period of national renewal and international integration, the country's education system faces new tasks, opportunities, and challenges. However, President Ho Chi Minh's fundamental views on education remain a guiding principle for the development of education today and in the future.

In a letter to professors and students of the Thanh Hoa University Preparatory School (April 1952), President Ho Chi Minh instructed: education must aim at the goal ofhonestTo serve the people, teachers and students musthonestUnite and use democratic methods.honestSelf-criticism and criticism are essential for mutual progress, for continuous improvement. Clearly, the above lines show that what Uncle Ho was particularly concerned about was...honestyBecause honesty is essential for effective teaching and learning. In other words, to teach and learn effectively, one must be honest in both teaching and learning—meaning teaching and learning must be genuine. However, it's important to add that besides teaching and learning, good management is also crucial. Management...unrealIt means chasing after achievements.unrealThis will create pressure on teachers and students, and therefore will produce substandard results.unrealThe high school graduation exams over the years, with pass rates close to 100%, are a testament to this.counterfeit productThis is evident throughout the entire education sector, leading to numerous unforeseen consequences for society as a whole and for the destiny of the nation.

Therefore, one of the things that should be considered a breakthrough in the "fundamental and comprehensive" reform of education across the entire education sector is the creation ofa sincere spirit, an honest attitude,all schoolsGenuine teaching, genuine learning, and genuine management.To create generations of genuine teachers, genuine students, and genuine administrators, thereby contributing to building a truly prosperous, democratic, just, and civilized society. This is the most practical and effective way for us to study Uncle Ho's letter to the education sector and to respond to his aspirations for schools.

___________

^{(1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)}Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, Vol. 4, p. 35; Vol. 15, p. 507; Vol. 7, p. 400; Vol. 10, 176, 186; Vol. 5, p. 575; Vol. 7, p. 139; Vol. 4, p. 556; Vol. 7, p. 400; Vol. 12, p. 648, Vol. 15, p. 508.

⁽⁵⁾In 1961, in a letter to children and young people nationwide, Uncle Ho outlined five principles: Love the Fatherland, love your compatriots; Study well, work well; Be united, be disciplined; Maintain hygiene; Be honest and courageous. See Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, op. cit., vol. 13, p. 132.