Minister Phung Xuan Nha (C) visits a classroom at Tan Hoa Kindergarten, Minh Hoa district, Quang Binh province. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam's goal of providing a comprehensive education includes teaching moral values through activities such as studying and quoting useful role models.

Minister Nha stressed that the sector’s top priority is to help students become upstanding and productive citizens.

“Our priority is to enhance the students’ morality and life skills. Educational institutions from kindergarten to university will be reviewed and reorganized. Teachers and administrators will be trained to meet the requirements of a new general education program. We need to increase the autonomy of higher education, renew education management, and train qualified human resources,” said Nha.

Primary schools will continue to explore innovative methods for teaching and assessing students, school and classroom infrastructure will receive greater investment and stricter management will be given to schools with foreign connections, said Thai Van Tai, Director of the Primary Education Department.

“The most important task is to prepare conditions to achieve our education plans. It’s essential that each school outlines specific plans that match its ability to realize them,” said Tai.

In this academic year, schools will pay particular attention to getting students more involved in environmental protection activities.

Teachers and students of Thanh Cong Kindergarten at the academic year opening ceremony.

Thanh Cong Kindergarten in Hanoi, for example, at its academic year opening ceremony gave the children paper plates instead of balloons to decorate. Each class created its own design and slogan conveying the theme of building a happy school, said Nguyen Thi Bach Chien, the school’s principal.

“We’ll boost activities relating to environmental protection and creating a green-clean-beautiful environment and a happy school. This will be our guideline throughout the academic year. A happy school is a cultural environment where friendliness prevails among teachers, students and parents,” she said.

To realize the slogan “Manners before knowledge”, educators and mass organizations all play important roles, according to Minister Nha.

“I hope teachers and school administrators will adhere to professional ethics, keep up their enthusiasm for education, and update teaching methods to achieve the sector’s goal of comprehensive reform. Families, schools, and society should work closely with each other to create safe and happy schools for both students and teachers,” said Nha.