Hot this week: 80 years of tradition in the education sector and the opening of the new school year

On the morning of September 5, at the National Convention Center (Hanoi), the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) held a ceremony to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Education sector's tradition and the opening of the 2025-2026 school year. This is a special opening ceremony when, for the first time, all educational institutions nationwide will salute the flag and sing the National Anthem at the same time during the opening ceremony of the new school year.

The ceremony to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Education sector's tradition and the opening of the 2025-2026 school year was broadcast live on VTV1 (Vietnam Television), connected online to all educational and training institutions nationwide with the participation of about 1.6 million teachers and 26 million students.

Attending the ceremony were General Secretary To Lam, President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, Standing member of the Secretariat Tran Cam Tu, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Do Van Chien, along with leaders and former leaders of the Party and State; leaders and former leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training through the periods; representatives of leaders of ministries, departments, branches, agencies, central organizations...

At the ceremony, the Ministry of Education and Training was honored to receive the First Class Labor Medal. General Secretary To Lam personally pinned the Medal on the traditional flag of the education sector and beat the drum to open the 2025-2026 school year at all levels nationwide.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son speaks at the opening ceremony of the new school year 2025-2026.

Looking back on the 80-year history of formation, construction and development of the Ministry of National Education (now the Ministry of Education and Training), Minister Nguyen Kim Son commented: there are no words to express the gratitude of the education sector for the attention and leadership of the Party, the State, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, organizations, agencies, departments, ministries and branches. There are no numbers to count the gratitude for the attention, care, investment and support of the whole society, the help of friends from all over the world, and international organizations for education and training in Vietnam.

80 years, no stele can fully record the sacrifices, dedication, efforts, intelligence and affection of millions of teachers for generations of students. This merit, this favor can only be engraved in eternal time and in the memories of millions and millions of students.

The Minister expressed his gratitude to his ancestors for thousands of years who left behind the ethics of learning, the tradition of studiousness, respect for teachers, and profound educational spirit and culture. He thanked all generations of learners for their hard work and progress in learning. He thanked his predecessors, generations of leaders, cadres and employees of the Ministry of Education and Training through the ages.

According to Minister Nguyen Kim Son, our country is facing a historic opportunity to develop rapidly and successfully achieve the two 100-year goals. The requirements for building people and developing high-quality human resources are very urgent, requiring strong development of education and training.

Resolution 71 on breakthrough in education and training development, recently issued by the Politburo, is a special and unprecedented opportunity for the education sector, a great mission, responsibility and honor for the sector. Resolution 71 has the meaning of opening and guiding the new revolution in education.

Faced with the great tasks of the education sector in the coming time, Minister Nguyen Kim Son said that the Ministry of Education and Training and the entire sector are determined to promote the thousand-year-old fine tradition and 80 years of achievements, to bring all their intelligence, determination, creativity, enthusiasm and noble spirit of the profession to excellently fulfill their responsibilities to the country, and to start implementing Resolution 71 of the Politburo right from the first days of the new school year.

General Secretary To Lam delivered a speech at the ceremony to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Education sector's tradition and open the 2025-2026 school year.

Reviewing the 80-year history of Vietnam's revolutionary education with proud results and also limitations, weaknesses and problems, General Secretary To Lam emphasized: our country is entering a new stage of development with the goal of becoming a modern industrialized country by 2030 and a developed, high-income country by 2045. In the context of globalization, knowledge economy, science, technology and digital transformation developing strongly, education and training must maintain its position as a top national policy and become a key driving force for national development.

Recently, the Politburo issued Resolution 71 on breakthrough development of education and training. This month, the Secretariat will also organize a national conference to disseminate and implement this resolution. This is one of the resolutions of utmost importance, with a strategic vision with large, specific goals, with strong breakthrough tasks and solutions, bringing Vietnamese education and training into the flow of world education to quickly bring the resolution into life.

The General Secretary proposed:

The entire Party must strongly innovate its leadership thinking on education, not imposing old standards on a modern education system, but needing to direct, review substantially, organize implementation resolutely, effectively, consistently, considering education as the top national policy.

The National Assembly needs to continue perfecting the legal system, creating a smooth, stable and progressive legal corridor for the cause of education and training innovation.

The Government increases investment, ensures financial resources, facilities, and staff, and resolutely removes bottlenecks in mechanisms and policies to unblock and maximize the mobilization of all social resources for education.

The Fatherland Front, unions and social organizations need to promote the strength of great solidarity, encourage and spread the movement of the entire people to care for the cause of educating people.

The education sector needs to be a pioneer in innovation in thinking and management methods, and in building a team of teachers who are knowledgeable, ethical, and have a desire to contribute. Teachers must be shining examples and a source of inspiration for students.

Students must nurture great ambitions and aspirations, study and practice to become global citizens, gradually integrating into international standards but always preserving Vietnamese identity and soul.

In his speech, the General Secretary also emphasized a number of major orientations to successfully implement the cause of innovation in education and training in the new period.

In particular, strongly innovate thinking and action, shift from reform and editing to creative thinking, leading and developing the nation through education, taking quality, fairness, integration and efficiency as measures, tightening enforcement discipline. Must ensure equal access to education, improve the intellectual level of the people, not leaving any child behind. Innovate general education in a comprehensive direction. Create breakthroughs in higher education and vocational education. Promote international integration in education. Take care of the team of teachers and education managers. Promote digital transformation and artificial intelligence in education, turn technology into a driving force for fundamental and comprehensive transformation and innovation. Prioritize investment in education. Build a learning society, lifelong learning.

Addressing students, teachers, and educational administrators across the country, the General Secretary affirmed: Our Party always considers education and training as the top national policy, the key driving force that determines the future of the nation. More than ever, we must consider investment in education as investment in the future, for the sustainable and powerful development of the country.

The General Secretary called on the entire Party, the entire people, the entire army, all levels, sectors, localities, each family and each individual to join hands to care for the cause of educating people, the future of our children, for the prosperity of the country, for the happiness of the people.

Previously, in Nghe An, Ha Tinh and some other localities affected by storms in early September, the Education sector urgently repaired facilities, ensuring that more than 1 million students could attend the opening ceremony on time, safely and solemnly.

President Luong Cuong and delegates attended the opening ceremony of the 2025-2026 school year and the 80th anniversary of the tradition of the education sector.

The President sent a letter of congratulations on the new school year.

On the occasion of the opening of the new school year 2025-2026, President Luong Cuong sent a letter to teachers, administrators, education workers, students, and parents.

In the letter, the President stated: In the past school year, the education sector has proactively and actively advised, proposed, and perfected many important mechanisms, policies, and legal documents to innovate and develop education and training in the new period; the entire sector has completed the implementation of the new general education program from grades 1 to 12, affirming the initial success of the general education innovation process.

The quality of education at all levels has been improved; Vietnamese students continue to achieve high results in international and regional Olympic competitions, contributing to raising the position of our country's education in the international arena. These are commendable efforts of the education sector, teachers and students nationwide, and at the same time continue to spread the trust and support of society for the cause of innovation and development of education and training in our country.

On behalf of the Party and State leaders, the President warmly congratulated and commended the very proud achievements that the education sector has achieved in the 2024-2025 school year.

The 2025-2026 school year is the first school year taking place in a new context when the whole country has completed the arrangement of administrative units, implemented the two-level local government model, and is also the first school year implementing Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW dated August 22, 2025 of the Politburo on breakthrough in education and training development; I hope the education sector will focus on implementing the school year's theme: "Discipline - Creativity - Breakthrough - Development"; continue to aim for the goal of forming and comprehensively developing people in terms of knowledge, ethics, skills, courage and aspirations, meeting the requirements of rapid and sustainable development of the country in the new era of development - the era of the Vietnamese people's rise.

On the eve of the new school year, the President expressed his belief that students will continue to nurture their dreams, constantly study and practice, becoming patriotic, responsible, creative, compassionate citizens with great aspirations to build an increasingly prosperous and happy country.

“I hope that teachers, administrators, and workers in the education sector will always maintain the flame of passion and love for the profession, constantly innovate, create, and build a happy learning environment for students.

I hope that parents, with love and responsibility, continue to accompany the school and society to take care of future generations.

"I request that central ministries, branches, Party committees and authorities pay more attention to the education cause with practical policies so that teachers and students can be taught, studied and trained in the best environment," the President said in the letter.

Class hours at Van Thang Primary School (Co Do commune, Hanoi).

Issuing a new Decree on tuition fees and support for learning costs

On September 3, the Government issued Decree No. 238/2025/ND-CP regulating policies on tuition fees, exemption, reduction, tuition support, support for learning costs and service prices in the field of education and training.

The Decree takes effect from the date of signing, replacing Decrees No. 81/2021/ND-CP and 97/2023/ND-CP, consisting of 6 Chapters and 29 Articles, stipulating many new points to ensure the rights of learners and facilitate educational institutions.

Accordingly, the regulations on tuition fee framework (floor - ceiling) or tuition fee ceiling of all levels and tuition fee roadmap inherit the provisions of Decree No. 81/2021/ND-CP and Decree No. 97/2023/ND-CP.

The goal is to ensure stable tuition policy, create initiative and convenience for learners, educational institutions and management agencies, and at the same time implement a roadmap to gradually compensate for salary costs, direct costs, management costs and depreciation of fixed assets, and other costs according to regulations of law on prices.

In addition to inheriting previous regulations, Decree 238/2025/ND-CP supplements and provides specific guidance according to Resolution No. 217/2025/QH15. Specifically, preschool children, high school students, and those studying general education programs at public institutions will be exempt from tuition fees. For those studying at private institutions, the State will support tuition fees at the level prescribed by the Provincial People's Council, but not exceeding the collection level of these institutions.

The new Decree also supplements policies to encourage the development of high-quality human resources to meet the needs of new industries and economic breakthroughs according to Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW.

Accordingly, students studying specialized majors serving socio-economic development, national defense and security will be exempted from tuition fees; the list of majors is regulated by the Government or the Prime Minister. In addition, students studying specific programs and projects are also exempted from tuition fees according to the decision of the Government and the Prime Minister.

Tuition fee exemption and support will be implemented in the direction of maximum administrative procedure reform. Preschool children and high school students will not have to apply for tuition fee exemption, reduction or support. Procedures will be resolved through data exploitation from the National Population Database, specialized databases, and at the same time, supplementing the form of online application submission via the National Public Service Portal, creating convenience for learners.

The Decree clearly stipulates the authority of state management, principles of price determination, pricing roadmap and clarifies the content of services serving and supporting educational activities to ensure consistency in implementation.

Pursuant to Decree No. 238/2025/ND-CP, the Government assigns ministries, central agencies, local authorities and educational institutions to urgently prepare sufficient conditions and resources to implement policies on tuition fees, exemption, reduction, support for tuition fees, support for study costs and service prices in the field of education and training right from the 2025-2026 school year, ensuring full and timely implementation.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/nong-trong-tuan-80-nam-truyen-thong-nganh-giao-duc-va-khai-giang-nam-hoc-moi-post747493.html