Education in the Capital: Breakthrough, equitable, but not leveling the playing field.

Assessing the proportional contribution of the university system

Professor, what are your thoughts on the draft document dedicating a page to evaluating the achievements of education and training in the capital city?

- The draft Political Report submitted to the 17th Congress of Hanoi City is meticulously compiled, comprehensive, and all-encompassing, yet it has a particular focus. I appreciate the logical connection between the different sections, linking the issues together as a whole, reviewing the past five years and setting goals for the next five years. The structure and content of the Report are excellent.

Professor Hoang Anh Tuan, Head of the Department of Urban History, guides students on how to approach the study of urban history around the world.

The assessment of issues in the Document is also extremely thorough and cautious, especially in the field of education. We all know that education and training in Hanoi does not only serve the capital city, but essentially serves the whole country. Therefore, the fact that the Document dedicates more than one page to reviewing education over the past five years affirms the Hanoi Party Committee's concern for the field of education and training. In particular, after this comprehensive review, the Document includes some very valuable points about the contributions of universities in the capital city.

Just three or four sentences are enough to show that the city appropriately values ​​the mission of the university system in the development of the capital. More significantly, the document acknowledges the positive innovation of the capital's university system in improving methods and updating knowledge to enhance the quality of human resource training. Universities contribute a great deal of scientific and technological value and policy advice to the economic development, political stability, and social justice of the capital.

In particular, among hundreds of universities in the area, the document acknowledges the contributions of Hanoi National University and Hanoi University of Science and Technology to their efforts in rising to the top 1,000 universities in the world. This is truly significant!

Hanoi's unique breakthroughs in general education.

Have the contributions of the general education system been adequately recognized in the Draft Document, sir?

- Hanoi is the political, economic, cultural, and diplomatic center of the country; therefore, its general education system is not only large in scale but also particularly complex in types. Many specialized schools and international schools in Hanoi have nationwide enrollment. This is a unique feature of Hanoi's general education system, as specialized schools in other provinces and cities only educate local children.

Hanoi also has unique highlights and breakthroughs that many other provinces and cities lack: International dual-degree programs for general education at six junior high schools, Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, and other private, international, and independent schools. I believe that, to some extent, Hanoi's education system maintains fairness without leveling the playing field or eliminating opportunities and international capabilities for students. The opening of international joint programs and dual-degree training is a crucial breakthrough, laying the foundation for Hanoi's education to make significant strides in the future.

Furthermore, over the past five years, Hanoi's implementation of a mechanism to grant autonomy coupled with the development of high-quality schools at all levels has been a breakthrough and has proven very effective. Liberal and integrated education should not and cannot be uniform; uniform education hinders breakthrough development.

In the next five years, what direction should general education in Hanoi take, sir??

- I wholeheartedly agree with the educational priorities identified in the document for the next five years, such as: "Continuing to promote socialization," "developing creative capacity for schools," etc.

In particular, I am very impressed with the breakthrough initiatives aimed at strengthening linkages, promoting internationalization. Quite a few universities have already implemented these initiatives; high schools promoting this trend will create a synergy and a breakthrough for education in the capital city.

I have high expectations that not just 15 international schools will be established, but within 5 years there will be dozens, even hundreds of schools. It would be even more meaningful if international partnerships were not limited to the inner city, but spread to the suburbs to ensure equity in education. If this happens, Hanoi students will become increasingly integrated, shaping their future as global citizens, which would be very beneficial.

Professor Hoang Anh Tuan expressed his wish that Hanoi's education system should focus on instilling patriotism, national pride, and pride in the thousand-year-old cultural heritage of the capital city.

General education is linked to Hanoi culture.

Sir, in addition to implementing the general education program as prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training, schools in Hanoi urgently need to include content on educating students about the civilized and elegant lifestyle of Hanoians.

- Over the years, Hanoi has identified and effectively implemented educational programs focused on ethics, conduct, and lifestyle. High schools and universities have developed courses with a focus on national culture. That's excellent!

The document emphasizes the elegant and civilized aspects of Hanoi's people, arousing pride and aspirations for the development of the capital city. Therefore, in addition to focusing on promoting science and technology (STEM), Hanoi's education needs to prioritize the education of patriotism, national pride, and pride in the thousand-year-old cultural heritage of the capital. These values ​​should be nurtured in students through subjects on ethics, art, history, and about Hanoi's cultural heritage, elegance, and civilization.

I believe that this system of humanistic knowledge is never superfluous, never outdated, no matter how advanced or digitized society becomes. The more interconnected a society becomes, the stronger the moral spirit must be to bind communities, nations, and humanity together.

Thank you, sir!

According to kinhtedothi