Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and students at the Việt Nam National University-HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HCM CITY — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Thursday attended a ceremony to launch the new academic year at the Việt Nam National University-HCM City (VNU-HCM), which is Việt Nam's leading centre of higher education and scientific research.

Speaking at the event, PM Chính emphasised the role of higher education and innovation in driving growth, saying that human resources, especially high-quality personnel, play a decisive role in the development of each country.

Education and training in general, and higher education in particular, play an important role in promoting development, contributing to improving people's knowledge, especially providing highly qualified human resources to meet the requirements of socio-economic development.

He said along with digital transformation and the fourth industrial revolution, higher education is changing and developing diversely. The trend of global cooperation and transnational learning widens people's access to higher education, he said, adding that higher education increasingly promotes creative thinking, equips skills, increases proactiveness, and creates an interactive learning environment, aiming to train global citizens. 

He said higher education focuses on encouraging research, innovation, and technology application, contributing to solving not only national but also global problems.

Emphasising the role of higher education in driving growth, the PM requested higher education institutions, including the VNU-HCM, to make greater efforts in training and finding talents, and promoting sustainable economic development.

At a working session with leaders of the VNU-HCM later the same day, PM Chính asked the university to closely follow the development requirements of the southern region and the country to provide suitable training.

He also urged the VNU-HCM to keep promoting research, especially to solve current and emerging problems.

The VNU-HCM was also asked to effectively utilise human resources; commercialise its research results; organise school governance scientifically, effectively, economically, and appropriately.

On this occasion, representatives from the VNU-HCM proposed the Government and Prime Minister facilitate the university's activities so that it will become one of 100 leading higher education institutions in Asia by 2030.

The VNU-HCM is one of the largest educational institutions in Việt Nam with eight member universities, 28 units, and over 6,100 staff members, including 1,100 doctorate holders, nearly 400 professors, and associate professors. Each year, it trains more than 95,000 undergraduate students, and more than 8,000 graduate students. — VNS