The People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City yesterday held a conference to evaluate the results of the implementation of the work of building a ‘UNESCO Global Learning City in Ho Chi Minh City in the period of 2024-2030’ in 2024 and deploy directions and tasks for 2025.
Vice Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Tran Thi Dieu Thuy and representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Vietnam, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Training attended the conference.
According to Deputy Director Le Hoai Nam of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, the city has proactively implemented the Movement ‘The whole country competes to build a learning society, promote lifelong learning in the period of 2023-2030’and achieved encouraging initial results.
The emulation movement has been widely deployed in the city, spreading to all classes of people, attracting the active participation of many agencies, units, organizations and people, creating a widespread mass movement.
In accordance with the results of a public review process, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has resolved to confer awards upon 48 collectives, 1 household, and 16 individuals who have demonstrated exceptional merit in their contributions to the establishment of a learning society and the advancement of lifelong learning, as conveyed by the Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training.
In addition, up to now, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City has received 172 applications for recognition as a ‘Learning Unit’at the city level in 2024, an increase of nearly 3 times compared to 2023.
A significant leap in lifelong learning was observed in 2024, with the number of 'Learning Citizens' exceeding 2.1 million, representing a growth of over 1.2 million compared to the previous year.
While celebrating the successes, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training recognized that disparities in participation and engagement among departments and districts need to be addressed.
To maintain the momentum of the emulation movement and achieve its established objectives, Ho Chi Minh City will implement the following key strategies: ensure thorough dissemination of Party and State directives on building a learning society to all segments of the population; expand and diversify public awareness campaigns to maximize participation; improve the quality and effectiveness of learning activities, with particular emphasis on community-based learning and the development of digital and soft skills; and strengthen inspection and monitoring procedures.
During her address at the conference, Vice Chairwoman Tran Thi Dieu Thuy expressed that Ho Chi Minh City's inclusion in the UNESCO Global Learning Cities Network represents not only an honor but also a significant challenge and a considerable responsibility for the city.
She said that joining the Global Learning Cities Network demonstrates the world's recognition of the policies, commitments and efforts of Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular in ensuring quality, equitable and comprehensive education, promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all people.
Currently, the city aims that by 2030, all citizens will have equal learning opportunities in accessing an open, diverse, flexible, interconnected and modern education system with many models, methods and training levels, contributing to promoting human resource development, especially high-quality human resources to meet the requirements of international integration.
To achieve that goal, in 2025, Vice Chairwoman Tran Thi Dieu Thuy suggested that the Department of Education and Training and departments, sectors and organizations continue to promote communication work to raise awareness among people and the whole society about lifelong learning, building a learning city, especially paying attention to digital transformation models.
Concurrently, the city will strengthen the political system's role in building a learning society by creating unifying policies and mechanisms that support learning city development and provide workers with access to training and skill improvement.
The Ministry of Education and Training recently introduced new regulations on extracurricular teaching and learning, bringing significant changes to its management outside of school. According to Vice Chairwoman Tran Thi Dieu Thuy, tighter control over extracurricular teaching also increases teachers' responsibilities within schools, including fostering students' self-study skills.
