On November 16, 2012, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities held a meeting with veteran professors and teachers to commemorate Vietnamese Teachers' Day and organized a seminar on the theme "Fundamental and Comprehensive Reform of Vietnam's Education System". Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh - Rector - chaired the meeting.
Outstanding achievements
At the Party Committee meeting, the School's Board of Directors presented a summary of the outstanding achievements of the School in the 2011-2012 academic year in various areas of activity, specifically: The school held a graduation ceremony and awarded diplomas to the second cohort of students trained entirely under the credit system; the school also organized many national and international scientific conferences; notably, in 2012, two teachers from the school were honored with the Ho Chi Minh Prize, three teachers received the State Prize for Science and Technology, and three teachers were awarded the title of Excellent Teacher in 2012. In the 2012-2013 academic year, the school was honored to welcome President Truong Tan Sang to visit the school and attend the opening ceremony.
Along with that, the School's Board of Directors also presented four work programs for the period 2012-2015, including: building and developing a qualified staff during the 2012-2015 period, quickly integrating the School into the group of advanced universities in the region; building and developing majors and specializations to international standards to meet the needs of training high-quality human resources to serve the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country; conducting high-quality research to serve training and meet the development needs of the country; and reforming university governance, gradually moving towards an advanced university governance system.
The core of educational philosophy
Offering suggestions for Vietnamese education in general and the university's development program in particular, Professor Phan Huu Dat – former Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities – emphasized three key issues: educational philosophy; building a team of qualified staff; and democratizing the university. According to Professor Phan Huu Dat, regarding educational philosophy, the university needs to identify the teacher as the central figure; teachers must be exemplary, and students must respect their teachers. The most correct educational philosophy is "an education of the people, by the people, and for the people." Along with this, building a team of qualified staff is a core issue and the number one priority; therefore, ensuring the material and spiritual well-being of teachers is essential. Emphasizing the issue of university democratization, Associate Professor Nguyen Truong Lich stated that the core remains the teachers, and democratization in universities means that decision-making power must be granted from the Faculty level down to the Head of Department. To achieve this, the Dean of the Faculty must not only be skilled in management but also possess strong expertise and academic knowledge.
Continuing to affirm the importance and position of educational philosophy in the school today, Associate Professor Do Van Khang suggested that, in addition to the role of the teacher and the responsibility of the student, the school needs to pay attention to and encourage creative individuals, recognize those who surpass expectations, and constantly seek and create knowledge. Discussing the issue of reforming the Vietnamese education system, Professor Ha Minh Duc emphasized the current situation of university inflation, noting that the number of universities is excessive and the trend towards spontaneous development is increasingly strong. Therefore, reforming the education system means establishing discipline and rebuilding that discipline. Furthermore, the professor also proposed paying more attention to the lives of the teaching staff; this is not just a problem of the past, but a matter of concern and worry for the present and future. On behalf of the school's leadership, Professor Nguyen Van Khanh – the school's principal – thanked the professors and veteran educators for their valuable contributions. And we extend our deepest gratitude to the veteran teachers who have been dedicated to the School, contributing to its construction and development over the years. At the same time, the Principal expresses his hope that the professors and veteran teachers will continue to show interest in, support, and favorably assist the younger generations of staff to carry on the tradition and continue to steadily build and develop the School.
