The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) must develop scenarios in accordance with the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic when preparing for the national high school exam.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made the requirement at a recent working session with the MoET.

He reminded the sector to implement pandemic prevention measures to ensure safety for more than 1.2 million teachers and nearly 24 million students at all levels nationwide amidst the complicated development of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the working session. Photo: VGP

Meanwhile, the sector should take measures to fulfill the tasks assigned for the 2020-2021 academic year, including conducting the national senior high school graduation exams, Chinh noted.

He said that human resources bear decisive significance to the cause of national construction and development, and education plays a very important role in human resources development.

The PM acknowledged the substantial results that the education sector has made in implementing Resolution 29 of the Party Central Committee on comprehensive and fundamental reform of education and training, one of which was the improved quality of general and tertiary education as well as vocational training.

Besides, PM Chinh highlighted the major issues of the sector, particularly the limitations in mechanisms and policies, negative phenomena within the sector and shortcomings in management decentralization.

He asked the ministry to focus on building strategies and plans, institutions and mechanisms, as well as standards and criteria. The ministry should also map out policies to mobilize social resources for education development.

The Government leader also urged the sector to pay more attention to communication work so as for the public to better understand its problems and to get the public involved in addressing them.

Students must wear a face mask during the 2020 national high school exam. Photo: Ngoc Tu

For his part, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son put forth several proposals regarding the legal framework for education reform, financial investment for the sector, and the development of the contingent of teachers and educational managers.

Around 900,000 high school seniors in Vietnam are expected to take the national high school exam which is seen as an important event in the country, with success or failure having far-reaching impacts.

The exams not only award a high-school certificate, but also decide admissions to universities and colleges.

The new wave of community transmission of the novel coronavirus infections had worried many 12th-graders in pandemic hit localities across the country.

Vietnam’s 2020 national high school exam amid Covid-19 outbreak can be considered an unprecedented one over four decades with many special things and controversial issues.

For the first time, all the examination venues and exam rooms had to be sterilized before and after the exams. All candidates and examination staff must check their body temperature and wash their hands with sanitizer.

And also for the first time, Vietnam’s education sector had to sterilize all candidates’ exam papers. Especially, the candidates for the first time ever wore face masks while taking the test.