New Academic Year in Vietnam kicks off with 22.5 million students

Le Thanh Hai, Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee, beats the drum to kick-start the New Academic Year at Nguyen Du Junior High School in District 1
Le Thanh Hai, Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee, beats the drum to kick-start the New Academic Year at Nguyen Du Junior High School in District 1

Many country leaders beat the drum to kick-start the New Academic Year on September 4, which is a traditional annual practice in Vietnam.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan was present at the ceremony at the Medicine University in Hanoi.

This year, the school has 1,063 new students who have been successful in making the cut with high qualifying scores including 17 valedictorians.

Most students who came first in the university entrance examination are from low income families. They were given certificates of appreciation and gifts by Deputy Prime Minister Nhan and Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien at the ceremony.

On the same day, speaking at the ceremony in Senior High School for ethnic minority students in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said students need to have a dream of their own to gain more knowledge to build their villages.

Teachers and students of Luong Dinh Cua Primary in District 3 , HCMC welcome the new school year
Teachers and students of Luong Dinh Cua Primary in District 3 , HCMC welcome the new school year

On the same day, Politburo member and National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong was present at the new school year ceremony at school for gifted students in the northern province of Hung Yen.

On the occasion, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, who is also Chairwoman of the Vietnam Children Sponsor Fund, granted 120 scholarships to underprivileged pupils in a school for ethnic minority students in the northern province of Hoa Binh.

The Vice President also gave 10 students VND5 million each and promised to give them a long term sponsorship until they are 16-years-of-age.

Elsewhere in Ly Tu Trong Senior High School in the central province of Khanh Hoa, National Assembly Deputy Chairman Uong Chu Luu and provincial leaders cut the ribbon at the statue of Ly Tu Trong in the school premises.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Le Thanh Hai, Secretary of the Party Committee, attended the school opening ceremony and the first labor medal giving ceremony at Nguyen Du Junior High School in District 1. The secretary expected the education sector and Nguyen Du School to revamp teaching and learning methodologies in response to new requirements in today’s world.

Students should be taught to be more dynamic and do more self-study, besides learning to work as a team. Teachers and schools should focus on practical knowledge rather than theory, in addition to teaching sports, music, and arts.

Primary students in the new school year ceremony
Primary students in the new school year ceremony

In the Mekong delta province of Ca Mau, many schools opened their new school year.  This year Ca Mau has more than 134 classrooms from the program to construct more rooms for the sector.

For the second phase of the program from 2008-2012, the province has spent a total of VND620 billion for construction of 2,004 classrooms and 1,306 houses for teachers from remote districts.

The Department of Education and Training in the highland province of Gia Lai said around 361,636 students of all levels including 152,349 ethnic minority students have registered, an increase of 7,619 compared to previous years.

The province now has 106 primary schools for ethnic minority students.

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