Vietnam seeks practical education solutions

Anh Kiet 14:00, 2019/07/03

Vietnam’s goal is not only to integrate sustainable development into education but also to use education as a tool to achieve the sustainable development goals.

Education is a solution towards sustainable development and Vietnam is seeking practical education solutions for that purpose, Vietnam’s Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha said at the UNESCO Forum on Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Education in Hanoi on July 2.

The two-day event, organized by UNESCO, Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), and the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, gathered over 350 leaders, policymakers, experts and educators from more than 100 countries.

An overview of the forum. Photo: Anh Kiet

In his opening speech, MoET Minister Phung Xuan Nha said sustainable development cannot be achieved only by political agreements, financial solutions or technology. “What we need to do is changing values and behavior of the community, helping them choose a more sustainable way of life,” Nha stressed.

“Education is the key solution, the way to change. Education aims to ensure that people know what is the right choice and help them gain skills to follow the right choice,” said the minister.

Since 2013, Vietnam has carried out fundamental and comprehensive educational reforms. A milestone of the effort is the approval of the national general education program in December 2018 which aims to develop the qualification and capacity of learners and equip them with skills necessary for the 21st century.

Vietnam’s goal is not only to integrate sustainable development into education but also to use education as a tool to achieve the sustainable development goals, Nha added.

However, the country is facing several problems in the program implementation, including how education can reach and serve all people, how to update curricula and standards to meet development demand in the future, and how to turn learning into a life-long process, the minister noted.

These are also problems other countries are facing, Nha said, adding that at this forum, participants will together identify necessary actions to realize the sustainable development goals.

Bhutan Minister of Education Jar Bir Rai makes the keynote speech. Photo: Anh Kiet

For his part, Bhutanese Minister of Education Jar Bir Rai in his keynote speech affirmed that when discussing education for sustainable development, it is not simply about bringing sustainable development content into classrooms but more importantly, how to use education as a key or a tool to solve all the goals of sustainable development in the most comprehensive way.

He added that the continuous reform and innovation of education is an effective way to create new people with bravery and wisdom, to overcome global challenges in the era of international integration.

Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute of Science and Education Le Anh Vinh told Hanoitimes: “From the perspective of the research agency under the Ministry of Education and Training, I hope the results from exchanging experiences at the forum will lead to new educational models and solutions which are keys for the future sustainable development.”

The two-day forum features seven plenary sessions and four group sessions. Participants will share creative and feasible approaches to resolve existing problems and fully tap into the potential of the three learning dimensions (cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioral) to achieve the targets of sustainable development goals on education.

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