Ahead of the 2021-2022 school year, The Hanoi Times had an interview with the Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training Tran The Cuong about the goals and tasks of the capital city’s education sector in the challenging context of Covid-19.

Following the practical situation

Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training Tran The Cuong. Photo: Diep Quyen

Hanoi has reached comprehensive achievements in education in the 2020-2021 school year. Could you share some outstanding ones?

Thanks to the attention and direction of the Ministry of Education and Training, Hanoi Party Committee, Hanoi People’s Council, and Hanoi People’s Committee as well as the coordination of related agencies, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training had achieved comprehensive results in the 2020 - 2021 school year.

All projects and plans have been implemented timely. The department focused on key tasks, basing on the practical situation. The scale of Hanoi's education continues to develop rapidly, the network of schools and classes has been expanded while more capital has been invested in infrastructure, all meeting the needs of students and human resource training requirements in the new context. The sector's staff is improved in quantity and quality, successfully organizing the exams for high school and the university.

What are the key tasks in the 2021-2022 school year set by the Hanoi education sector?

In the challenging new school years, the sector has targeted seven key tasks, focusing on the “dual-task” of actively preventing the Covid-19 pandemic and carrying on with the teaching plans. Other missions include building new programs and textbooks for the first, second, and sixth grades; diversifying methodologies of training institutions in the Covid-19 pandemic; preparing specific teaching plans following the practical pandemic situation; building the e-data source for the online teaching; and promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education in general education.

Ensuring equity in education

A student from Trung Vuong Secondary School joined the opening ceremony of the new school year 2021-2022 on September 5. Photo: Nam Du

Until June 2021, Hanoi had 76.9% of public schools reaching national standards. In the future, how will Hanoi strive to make more schools meet the standards?

Hanoi has actively implemented the construction of national standard schools and high-quality schools, considering it as a solution to improve the quality as well as the comprehensive school development. The Hanoi Department of Education and Training is planning to build at least five inter-level schools towards regional and international standards.

According to the Public Investment Plan for the period of 2021-2025, the roadmap for 2021, a total of 119 new schools are being built and 195 others are being upgraded, renovated, and repaired. School toilets are also renovated.

In the coming time, Hanoi will continue to standardize education, innovate management, transform itself and adapt to new situations. It also carries out projects and plans to develop education and training in the capital for the period of 2021-2025, reorganizes the school system and human resources, develop a high-quality school system in areas with favorable conditions, increase investment in education, promote the construction of schools and strive for 100% public schools to meet national standards by 2025. Particularly, ensuring equality in education and investing in remote localities to gradually reduce the disparity in education development between regions will be the priority.

Tran Hoang Nam, Class 7A10, Linh Nam Secondary School, Hoang Mai District, Hanoi joined an online opening ceremony of the new school year 2021-2022. Photo: Cao Nhung

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the Ministry of Education and Training have paid a lot of attention to improving the lives of teachers, especially those working at preschools,

non-public schools, and students with difficulties. How has the department worked in such a direction?

Hanoi’s education sector is considering proposing to the city’s authority to not increase school fees for public preschools and high schools in accordance with the Directive 800/CT-BGDĐT dated 24/8/2021 of the Minister of Education and Training. For non-public schools, the department requires them to have appropriate tuition fees on the basis of agreements with students’ parents.

To ensure effective online learning, the department recommends schools to review and support students with difficult situations and students from poor families as well as admit students who are not locals but live in the area and are unable to return to their homeland due to the Covid-19 pandemic and provide them classes and books.

In the complicated context of the Covid-19 pandemic, how does the Hanoi Department of Education and Training plan to organize the opening ceremony of the 2021-2022 school year?

Under the circumstances, this school year’s opening ceremony will be organized online by the Hanoi Party Committee and broadcast live on Hanoi Television. This shows the great attention of the political system to the education sector. In that spirit, teachers and the students are encouraged to overcome it and the parents to support the sector to achieve good results in the next school year, maintaining its top position in terms of education and training in the country.

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training cooperates with the Labor Union to actively implement the “Computer for You” program which donates computers to poor teachers and students. The union has also given gifts to teachers and workers in the education sector and supported over 350 teachers, with VND1.5 million-4 million (US$65-175) per person. These programs will continue to be implemented in the near future.

Thank you for your time!