The ultimate goal of Resolution 71 is to train people who are 'both red and expert'.

GD&TĐ - The ultimate goal of Resolution 71-NQ/TW is that Vietnamese education is truly a substantial education, training people who are "both red and expert".

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Duc, University of Technology ( Hanoi National University) affirmed that Resolution 71-NQ/TW of the Politburo on breakthrough in education and training development (Resolution 71) is "contract 10", "contract 100" in higher education.

Breakthrough in thinking and perception

- How do you evaluate the new breakthrough points of Resolution 71?

- I think the most impressive point in Resolution 71 is the breakthrough in thinking, awareness and determination to drastically change the institutions in education and training. The Resolution affirms that education and training are not only the top national policy, but also the decisive factor in the future and destiny of the nation.

This awareness is the root and foundation for changes. The Resolution clearly states that for education and training to have a breakthrough development in the new era, laws and policies must change accordingly.

Institutional innovation with the mindset that instead of "administrative management", we must "create", with specific and outstanding mechanisms and policies so that schools, educational and training institutions can attract all resources, both tangible and intangible, for development, improve training quality, serve the growth of the school, and integrate with international standards and levels.

From Resolution 71, it can be seen that the Party and State pay special attention and have great expectations for education and training, that is: by 2035, there must be at least 5 higher education institutions with fields ranked in the top 100 in the world; by 2045, Vietnam will be in the top 20 countries with the most equitable and modern education in the world.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Duc. Photo from the internet.

I am also particularly impressed, agree with and highly appreciate the policy of prioritizing investment in higher education as expressed in the Resolution of the Politburo this time. Knowledge and high technology come from scientists, from the laboratories of universities and research institutes.

Therefore, higher education is very important in promoting the successful implementation of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation (Resolution 57).

Resolution 57 cannot succeed as expected if Vietnamese higher education does not innovate and take off.

Resolution 71 affirms and ensures full and comprehensive autonomy for higher education institutions, regardless of the level of financial autonomy.

As someone who has participated in the direction, management and leadership of universities, I am very pleased and appreciate this as a wise, decisive, correct and very much in line with the expectations of higher education institutions.

In recent years, university autonomy has been like a "breath of fresh air" that has "changed the face" of many universities; however, there are still some bottlenecks, limitations, restraints and constraints.

With such direction on university autonomy, I believe that laws and policies will be amended in the spirit of Resolution 71. This Resolution will truly be "Contract 10" in Vietnamese higher education, bringing strong and breakthrough developments to higher education.

Resolution 71 will also fundamentally change the mindset of financial investment in higher education: reaching a level and surpassing, practically taking care of the teaching staff and providing financial support, creating learning opportunities for everyone.

In particular, Resolution 71 resonates with Resolution 57, resolutely directing the construction of new university models - innovative universities, new-generation technology universities, to become the core and "locomotive" of innovation, leading the innovation ecosystem of Vietnam.

In the Resolution, the Politburo also directed to urgently promote stronger international integration in education, making English the second language in schools; at the same time, promoting digital transformation and applying modern technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) ethically and responsibly in modern and civilized education. These are very bold and drastic innovations with a far-sighted vision, meeting the expectations of the whole society.

Foreign Trade University students on graduation day.

- A very strong directive in Resolution 71 is to allocate at least 20% of the total state budget for education, along with great incentives for teachers. In your opinion, how will this affect the quality of human resources and the attractiveness of the teaching profession?

- "Only with food can we practice religion". Increasing investment and total state budget expenditure for education and teaching staff not only demonstrates the Party's practical concern for education, but is also a specific solution of the Party and State to contribute to achieving the goals set for the education sector.

This adequate investment will play an important role in implementing and modernizing schools, so that all schools can “graduate from school to school, and from class to class”. At the same time, with investment, there will be modern equipment to improve training quality, link training with research and link innovation activities of schools with businesses better and faster.

The improvement of the remuneration regime is a great and timely encouragement from the Party and the State for teachers. With improved living conditions and income, teachers will feel secure in their work, wholeheartedly devote themselves to the career of "cultivating people", increasing the attractiveness of the teaching profession to society.

The above financial solutions are important "levers" that directly contribute to improving the quality of higher education and accelerating the international integration of Vietnam's education system.

Students of the University of Technology (Vietnam National University, Hanoi). Photo: UET.

"Contract 10" in higher education

- With your management and research experience, in your opinion, what conditions do we need to prepare to make the goal of having a university in the top 100 in the world and 8 schools in the top 200 in Asia a reality?

- With the current starting point of ranking Vietnamese universities, achieving the goal of having a university ranked in the world's top 100 is not a simple and easy story. But for that goal, we must innovate thinking, investment, policy mechanisms and actions for Vietnamese higher education to take off.

To achieve this goal, we must first pay attention to developing the scientific and technological potential in universities. This is the first and most important factor. To be ranked highly, universities must have a team of excellent and talented university lecturers, not only publishing top-notch science, but also having the capacity to innovate, linking training and research activities, innovation with businesses; having the ambition to contribute and revive the country. Training people, especially a team of good scientific staff, besides investment, also requires "maturity" in terms of time.

Second, we must take care of the facilities and modern laboratories in the school. In fact, with the advantages of the profession and the development trend of the times, I think that universities with strong natural science and technology fields will easily achieve this high ranking goal faster.

Third, it is necessary to create a mechanism for universities to attract talent for development and build strong, excellent research groups and teams within the school.

In addition, I think that the most important factor is innovation in university governance. Universities must have strong and comprehensive autonomy. Japan's experience with university autonomy since 2004 is a valuable lesson: Before autonomy, there were only two universities, Tokyo University and Osaka University, ranked in the top 100 in the world. After university autonomy, in just a short time, there were five universities in the top 100 in the world, including non-public universities.

University autonomy is a mechanism, but it is also an advantage and resource, which is sometimes more important and brings faster and stronger results than direct financial investment.

The previous "Contract 100" and "Contract 10" in agriculture are examples of the power of autonomy and policy mechanisms. Resolution 71 is the "Contract 100" and "Contract 10" in higher education.

Resolution 71 advocates prioritizing and encouraging investment in university development according to the model of innovation and modern technology, increasing the scale of training in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, and technology to 35% of the total training scale, which is very suitable with the trend of the times.

I believe that if we simultaneously and resolutely and effectively implement the above fundamental and core solutions, we will achieve the goal of having Vietnamese higher education institutions in the top 100 of the world's university rankings.

Students of Vinh Tuy Primary School (Vinh Hung, Hanoi).

Taking Vietnamese education to the next level

- What fundamental changes do you expect Resolution 71 to create for Vietnamese education, especially in the journey of preparing human resources for the country's development aspirations by 2045?

- The ultimate goal of Resolution 71 and also the desire of teachers like us is that Vietnamese education will truly be a substantial education of "real learning - real talent", training people who are "both red and professional", with good professional capacity, high level, good at foreign languages, good at AI, but also have a passionate love for the Fatherland with aspirations and ambitions to contribute to the happiness of the people.

The education sector must train and nurture talents, train elite generations to master the country and succeed in the future, worthy of being the "vital energy of the nation", so that the Vietnamese people can be independent, self-reliant and eternal; and Vietnam must have prestigious higher education institutions, comparable to leading foreign universities.

Thank you Professor Nguyen Dinh Duc!

"I think Resolution 71 is the Resolution to reform Vietnam's education. I hope that the Resolution will help Vietnam's education, including and first of all Vietnam's higher education, take off, to accompany and resonate with Resolution 57 and Resolution 59-NQ/TW to realize the aspiration of a rich and powerful nation. Vietnam will stand shoulder to shoulder and become a developed country by 2045" - Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Duc.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/dich-cuoi-cung-cua-nghi-quyet-71-la-dao-tao-ra-nhung-nguoi-vua-hong-vua-chuyen-post748689.html