PM Phạm Minh Chính meets students at Yên Lập Primary School. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

PHÚ THỌ — The Ministry of Education and Training and localities must strictly implement the guidelines and policies of the Party and State on education and training so that education is truly a top national policy, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính said on Saturday.

He made the request during a working trip to the northern province of Phú Thọ, which aimed to inspect preparations for the new academic year.

Talking to teachers at Yên Lập Primary School in Yên Lập District, the PM praised the achievements that the school had obtained and shared the difficulties they faced in the COVID-19 pandemic in the past two years.

He urged the school and Phú Thọ Province in general to pay due attention to the children, especially those from poor households and ethnic minorities.

He asked the school and teachers to continue adopting renewal of education and training, focusing on both cultural and physical education for students, maintaining online teaching and learning which help them access the digital transformation process.

The PM asked localities, the education sector and institutions as well as parents to pay attention to vaccinating against COVID-19 to ensure safety for their children.

At a meeting with leaders and teachers of Yên Lập High School, PM Chính suggested the school give more importance to extracurricular activities and life skills education, create an environment for ethnic minority students to preserve their identity.

He emphasised the need to develop plans for the new academic year that ensure the effectiveness of the 2018 general education programme as well as to ensure enough textbooks and other reference documents for the tenth and other grades in line with the education sector’s roadmap. The PM said he wished that teachers would strive to overcome the difficulties to fulfil their mission.

On this occasion, the PM presented VNĐ100 million (US$4,270) each to study promotion funds of Yên Lập Primary School and Yên Lập High School.

Economic connectivity centre

On the same day, PM Chính had a working session with the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee, where he asked the provincial authorities to work harder to make the locality an economic connectivity centre between Việt Nam and other ASEAN member countries as well as China’s southwestern region.

Chính emphasised Phú Thọ's favourable conditions for economic connectivity.

With its special potential and competitive advantages, Phú Thọ should become a leading locality in the northern midland and mountainous region, especially in rapid, sustainable development and economic restructuring, the PM said.

He asked the province to accelerate the disbursement of public investment and effectively implement national target programmes and the socio-economic recovery and development programme.

For the long term, Phú Thọ needed to promote digital transformation, green economy, innovation and start-ups, the leader said, urging it to maximise opportunities and resources, and raise the efficiency of investments, especially FDI.

Chính asked the province to quickly complete its planning scheme for 2021-2030 with a vision towards 2050, with attention paid to socio-economic infrastructure, particularly transport and digital transformation infrastructure.

Earlier the same day, the PM visited the Phú Thọ provincial Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynecology in Việt Trì City, which was put into operation in 2019.

He also made a field-trip to the Tuyên Quang-Phú Thọ expressway project connected with the Nội Bài-Lào Cai expressway, and the Hùng Vương High School for Gifted Students project.

Last year, Phú Thọ’s GRDP grew 6.28 per cent, ranking 21st out of the 63 cities and provinces and fifth in the midland and mountainous region in this regard. The GRDP growth was 7.8 per cent in the first half of this year.

Ensuring equal education access for all

On the same day, National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ affirmed the Party and the State always paid special attention to education and training, ensuring equal access to education for all as he attended the inaugural ceremony of a high school in mountainous Kỳ Sơn District of Nghệ An Province.

This is the only high school in the district – one of the most 74 disadvantaged districts nationwide, about 250km from Nghệ An Province’s Vinh City. More than 95 per cent of its students belong to ethnic minority groups in the district.  

The 2.6ha school was rebuilt with the funding of VNĐ 210 billion (US$8.95 million) from Trung Nam Construction Investment Joint Stock Company (Trungnam Group). It has a total of 245 rooms, including 171 boarding rooms for students and teachers.

From the 2023-2024, Nghệ An will grant scholarships to 120 Lao students at the high school and the provincial ethnic minority boarding school.

Huệ said the scholarship programme would help neighbouring Laos in high-quality personnel training, while contributing to promoting the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

He asked the provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to instruct the implementation of the legislature’s Resolution No. 88 and other projects launched by the NA and the Government regarding socio-economic development in ethnic minority-inhabited and mountainous areas for 2021-2023, with priorities given to education infrastructure.

On this occasion, the Committee for Ethnic Affairs presented the Ky Son High School with VNĐ100 million. VNS