"The teacher's mission is to awaken aspirations in every student, then rekindle and nurture them," said Chu Thi Thanh Hien, a teacher at Cau Giay Middle School in Hanoi's Cau Giay District, at a ceremony marking the 41st anniversary of Vietnam's Teachers' Day [November 20, 1982-2023].

The ceremony was held on November 15 in Hanoi to pay tribute to outstanding teachers in the city's education sector. This annual activity honors Hanoi teachers who have devoted themselves to their careers and made outstanding contributions to the development of the sector.

Thanh Hien, one of the teachers who received the Second Class Labor Medal, told The Hanoi Times that the award would encourage her teaching career. "I will continue to work with my colleagues to build a strong education sector. To do the job well, every teacher must be an example of morality, education, self-study and creativity," she stressed.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son and Deputy Chairwoman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Thu Ha present certificates of merit to outstanding teachers and award the Government's Excellent Emulation Flags to exemplary groups. Photo: VGP

Meanwhile, teacher Nguyen Thu Ha said, "I hope our salaries will be increased and the shortage of human resources in the  education sector will be solved so that teachers' lives will be improved, so that teachers can concentrate on their profession and live with peace of mind."

Vietnam Teachers' Day is an opportunity to thank outstanding educators for their tireless efforts in the cause of human cultivation.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Tran The Cuong, Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, stressed that it is an opportunity to express gratitude and respect for teachers' contributions to the community and the cultivation of students.

"In the 2022-2023 school year, Hanoi has more than 2,800 preschools and secondary and vocational schools with nearly 2.3 million students and about 123,000 teachers, which meet the requirements of educational innovation tasks. The network of schools has been expanded and the facilities have been upgraded to modern standards at the same time. The rate of public schools meeting national standards has reached 72.7%," Cuong said.

Speaking at the event, Tran The Cuong, director of the city's Department of Education and Training, affirmed that Hanoi's education system will continue to lead the country.

He stressed that Hanoi's education sector has developed in scale and quality and has maintained its leading position in the country, with 12 students winning international awards and 141 students winning prizes in the national excellent student exam. "In particular, in the 2023 national high school exam, Hanoi ranked 16th with a graduation rate of 99.56%, up 11 places from the previous year," Cuong added.

"The quality of education in the city has improved greatly. In the past five years, Hanoi students have won 675 national awards and 82 medals in international Olympic competitions. At present, Hanoi is one of the first four localities nationwide to be recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training for meeting the standard of universalizing lower secondary education," the director said.

Praising the role of teachers, he urged them to promote good qualities, maintain moral examples, and strive to perform their duties with excellence to achieve the goals set by the Hanoi government.

Nguyen Kim Son, Minister of Education and Training, expressed his pleasure at attending the award ceremony for the capital's education sector and shared his thoughts on teachers' ethics, beliefs and expectations.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son delivers a speech at the event.

Hailing the achievements of Hanoi's education sector and teachers, the Minister pointed to education in difficult areas with large ethnic minorities. "Overcoming difficulties and challenges, Hanoi's education is expected to achieve the best quality, setting an example for the country in innovative education," Son added.

For her part, Vice Chairwoman of Hanoi People's Committee Vu Thu Ha said that the comprehensive achievements of the city's education sector over the past 41 years are the result of teachers' dedication, efforts and perseverance in excelling in their tasks.

Ha affirmed that the city government has always paid special attention to education and training, and the development of high-quality human resources has been identified as one of the city's strategic breakthroughs.

"In addition, Hanoi's education sector must continue to seek solutions to overcome limitations left over from previous years, and focus resources on strengthening traditional education, national culture, lifestyle ethics, and students' courage. It is also necessary to review school network planning under the overall development of the capital for the benefit of local children," the Vice Chairwoman said.

She stressed that the training of high-quality human resources is one of the three strategic breakthroughs of the city. "Therefore, it is recommended that all levels, branches and districts join hands to contribute to the improvement of policy mechanisms to attract talented people and improve the quality of life of teachers so that they can dedicate themselves to the cause of education," Ha added.