Few would expect that in this remote school, the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is already evident, and its development is on par with, or even surpasses, many schools on the mainland.
Digitalization in management and teaching
It takes just over two hours by high-speed boat to reach Phu Quy Island. With regular high-speed boats and 24/7 electricity, the island has seen progress in all areas, including education. At Ngo Quyen High School, traditional, boring theoretical lessons and the old method of teachers reading aloud while students tạking notes are a thing of the past. Instead, the classrooms now feature visual and interactive lessons supported by modern equipment.
Mr. Le Quang Trong, Vice Principal of Ngo Quyen High School, shared that in 2019, the school became the first in Binh Thuan Province to be granted the right by Microsoft to create and manage its own Office 365 Education system (a suite of office software and tools developed on Microsoft’s cloud platform) with 10,000 user accounts. Since then, all teachers and students have benefited from a comprehensive, professional ecosystem for school management and teaching activities.
Since the 2019-2020 school year, all students have been guided and organized to learn using modern technology. Every classroom is equipped with large-screen TVs connected to the internet, and students are allowed to use their phones, with 4G data packages provided to support their learning as required by teachers.
The school has implemented Microsoft Teams for organizing meetings, online training, teaching, managing assignments, and grading for all students. Along with the existing Office 365 applications, and the use of social media platforms like Facebook, Zalo, and the school management application vnEdu, the school's operations are now fully managed through modern technology.
Previously, records such as lesson plans, homeroom logs, and equipment management books were manually created and stored, making it difficult to retrieve and reference information. To address this, Ngo Quyen High School has digitized all records using OneNote (a digital note-taking application that consolidates all documents in one place). Now, with just a phone and internet connection, everyone can easily access personal and school data from previous years.
"Through continuous effort and collaboration within the school and the community, with the goal of advancing modern education in the Vietnam Creative Education Community, two of our teachers have been recognized as Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts," shared Mr. Le Quang Trong, Vice Principal of Ngo Quyen High School.
Inspiring students
Beyond leading the digital transformation in education and management, Ngo Quyen High School has also focused on developing students' skills and inspiring them. One notable initiative is the "Inspiration Library" program, which has been recognized by the Binh Thuan Provincial Scientific Initiatives Council as a model to be applied across the province. This program is a key part of the school’s efforts to develop students' soft skills.
Each week, students participate in a library session where they take turns presenting their favorite books or chapters to their classmates and teachers. The sessions also include discussions on current topics, fostering lively debates and critical thinking. All activities are recorded and shared with students, giving them the chance to review their performances and cherish memories of their school years.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Toan Thang, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Binh Thuan Province, praised Ngo Quyen High School as not only a leader in digital transformation in education but also a trailblazer in training life skills and fostering international collaboration for students.
"This is a central activity that the school has been implementing since 2016. The school continues to strengthen this initiative by organizing extensive reading activities for both teachers and students. All teachers are required to participate and complete the Reading Culture Building course," said Mr. Le Quang Trong.
In addition to utilizing active teaching methods, Ngo Quyen High School offers a wide range of activities to develop students' skills. Throughout the academic year and during weekly flag-raising ceremonies, various life skills education activities with diverse themes are held. The school's garden and campus are also carefully maintained, with the goal of becoming the cleanest and most beautiful high school in Binh Thuan Province.
Beyond academics, with a desire to provide students with global opportunities, Ngo Quyen High School has been the only high school in Binh Thuan Province to sign a cooperation agreement with Nishi Nippon Junior University in Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, Japan, since 2018. Dozens of students have had the chance to study, exchange ideas, and explore job opportunities in Japan. This partnership serves as a foundation for the school to expand further collaborations with educational institutions in other countries, developing an international cooperation strategy to enhance local education.
