Higher education before great opportunities: Unified awareness, breakthrough actions

GD&TĐ - At the 2025 Higher Education Conference, Minister Nguyen Kim Son emphasized the need to unify awareness and join hands to seize rare opportunities.

Unify perception to act correctly

Concluding the 2025 Higher Education Conference, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son emphasized: We are facing a great opportunity to develop higher education. This is an opportunity, a chance, an important breakthrough. If we do not promptly grasp and promote the advantages, we will miss the beat. Therefore, the thinking that needs to be raised now is how not to miss the opportunity, take advantage of the opportunity, and complete the mission of developing higher education. Through this conference, we hope that the whole industry will join hands to take advantage of this rare opportunity.

Besides the joy and excitement when major policies are issued, according to the Minister, there are also concerns, worries, and big questions raised.

For example: If there is no school council in public educational institutions, how will it be implemented, if the Party Committee Secretary is also the head of the educational institution? How will the arrangement, reduction of focal points, and merger of schools be implemented? How will autonomy without depending on the level of financial autonomy be implemented? In the future, schools will have to self-assess their standards, appoint professors and associate professors, so what will happen? The policy of the State playing a leading role in investment, how should "leading" be understood and specifically implemented? What advantages will the non-public sector enjoy, what policies will be in place to encourage the development of higher education in the coming time?...

Faced with many problems, the Minister said that first of all, we need to unify our perceptions to take the right actions.

With Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW, systematically viewed, the guiding spirit of the Politburo is a more correct view of the position and role of higher education with appropriate investment; wishing universities to develop at a faster, stronger pace, with clearer orientation, thereby obtaining a team of highly qualified human resources, especially in the national field that is in great demand. The Resolution places very high requirements on the quality and training of talents; especially for public universities, the orientation, command, and leadership must be higher. Along with that, creating the most favorable conditions for non-public higher education institutions to develop.

From left to right in photo: Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Phuc, Minister Nguyen Kim Son, Director of the Department of Higher Education Nguyen Tien Thao.

The Minister shared that in the process of advising on the development of Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW, the Ministry of Education and Training has made efforts and persistently persuaded to be able to include breakthrough contents, helping to fundamentally solve the problems of the industry. Typical is the viewpoint of promoting the highest autonomy of higher education institutions, regardless of the level of financial autonomy. This is considered an important foundation for innovation, opening up opportunities for strong development for the entire higher education system.

Regarding the policy of not organizing school councils in public educational institutions (except for public schools with international agreements), implementing the Party Committee Secretary as the head of the educational institution, the Minister said that at the National Conference to disseminate and implement the 4 resolutions of the Politburo on the morning of September 16, the General Secretary and Prime Minister made a thorough analysis. In which, he emphasized the need to innovate and strengthen the comprehensive and direct leadership role of the Party organization, especially the role of the head of the Party Committee in educational institutions.

Spending a lot of time analyzing and helping to understand the "implementation of the Party Secretary and Head of the educational institution", the Minister emphasized the comprehensive and thorough leadership role of the Party and said: in the coming time, the Ministry of Education and Training will stipulate standards and conditions for the positions of Secretary and Principal for schools to implement. Along with that, mentioning the major reorganization of higher education institutions in the coming time, the Minister highlighted the spirit of readiness, solidarity, responsibility and cooperation for the common cause.

The Ministry of Education and Training's viewpoint is to overcome the fragmentation, smallness, and lack of development among schools, especially schools that are close to each other in terms of fields. The Ministry's Steering Committee has developed a plan, reported to the Prime Minister, and is waiting for instructions before implementing. The spirit is to arrange for schools to become stronger.

Representatives of higher education institutions spoke at the conference.

Take drastic action to take advantage of opportunities and favorable conditions

In addition, according to the Minister, the amendment of the Law on Higher Education that is being carried out also has a corresponding orientation to institutionalize the spirit of Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW; that is, adjusting a number of contents on state management of educational institutions. The Ministry of Education and Training will reduce the contents of direct intervention; implement more decentralization, delegation, and authorization. The principle is "firmly grasp what needs to be grasped, decisively let go of what needs to be let go".

Specifically, the Ministry will focus on three tasks: granting licenses, revoking licenses, closing down, and dissolving to exercise state management rights; appointing, dismissing, transferring, and rotating leaders; and approving strategies, missions, and goals of public higher education institutions. Schools are given greater autonomy in academics, finance, science, and training; but governance responsibilities must also be clearer, which will be specified in the law.

Regarding the autonomy of higher education institutions regardless of financial autonomy, the Minister said that a separate Decree will be issued in the near future. The Ministry will advise the Prime Minister, the Government, and the Ministry of Finance to strongly shift from regular financial support to the form of ordering and direct support through learners, so that schools can be more proactive in their revenue sources.

Affirming that there are many things that the higher education system needs to implement in new directions, the Minister hopes that higher education institutions need to more quickly implement a number of training fields linked to high technology needs; more quickly implement the digital transformation process, and apply artificial intelligence throughout the industry.

For example, we currently have two databases connected to VneID, which are digital transcripts and digital diplomas. Citizens' lifelong learning records will be integrated with VNeID. Digital transcripts will be deployed from high school, while digital diplomas cover both high school and university. "It is necessary to consolidate data from many years ago to create a complete and synchronous system. This is a mandatory task in the coming time, schools need to pay special attention to providing complete digital documents," the Minister requested.

At the same time, according to the Minister, it is necessary to review and build an open scientific resource warehouse for the entire industry and provide it to society to serve the building of a learning society. This is a major and strategic task. Along with that are other tasks such as attracting experts and solving public investment problems.

The Minister added that the Ministry of Education and Training is currently submitting to the National Assembly the National Target Program on Modernizing Higher Education, with huge investment resources, and many other capital sources will continue to be mobilized for this field, aiming at the goal of modernizing universities. Therefore, investment preparation and disbursement for infrastructure, construction of schools, laboratories, and research centers need to be urgently implemented, otherwise it will directly affect the progress.

It can be said that higher education institutions are facing great opportunities, with public investment in the next 5 years and a strategy to modernize higher education; it is necessary to urgently prepare to effectively absorb resources and promote the development of higher education in the coming time. The Minister expressed his hope that after this conference, schools will be able to determine appropriate orientations. Both the public and non-public sectors will face competitive pressure, thereby striving to improve and learn more from international models.

“I expect that non-public schools, with their own resources, business connections and innovative spirit, will orient their strategies in line with the country’s overall development goals. If they only stop at the scope of their own interests, development will be very limited. On the contrary, when we work together towards a national vision, we will have the opportunity to truly grow.” Emphasizing this, the Minister also informed that in Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW and upcoming documents, the non-public sector will receive more priorities, especially regarding land, taxes, procedures and investment incentive policies.

Regarding enrollment in 2026, the Minister said that it will remain basically stable. However, gradually, according to the plan by 2027, the High School Graduation Exam will gradually apply the form of computer-based testing. The Ministry of Education and Training will invite the units organizing the computer-based competency assessment test to sit down to agree on principles and criteria, ensuring standards and avoiding too large differences between schools.

Despite many difficulties, the education sector has never received as much attention and created as favorable conditions for development as it does today. In particular, higher education is at the center and the focus of development priorities. This is a shared responsibility. The Minister hopes that the entire team will unite and spread this spirit to fulfill their responsibility to the country.

Along with Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW, the Minister noted to carefully and deeply study Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation to take full advantage of the advantages and positive points from these resolutions. How can the spirit of Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW and Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW truly become a new awareness, perspective and vision for developing higher education? Without vision, awareness and innovative approaches, it will be difficult for us to accelerate the development of higher education institutions.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/giao-duc-dai-hoc-truoc-van-hoi-lon-thong-nhat-nhan-thuc-hanh-dong-but-pha-post748919.html