What preparations is the education sector making for the new term?

During the 2020–2025 term, the education and training (EDT) sector of Dong Nai continued to record positive changes, responding promptly to the demands of improving literacy, training human resources, and fostering talent.

Students in Dong Nai’s general education schools had many opportunities to access information technology from an early age, helping them align with the 4.0 technology era. In the photo: Students of Ngo Quyen High School (Tran Bien Ward) participate in the AI Programming Contest for autonomous vehicles. Photo: Cong Nghia

Dr. Le Thang Loi, Director of the Southern Education Development Centre, stated: “Building on the solid foundation already in place, as we enter the 2025–2030 term, Dong Nai’s education sector will need to exert even greater effort to meet the province’s new development orientations in this new era. Alongside modern, synchronized infrastructure, high-quality human resources will serve as the driving force behind the province’s sustainable growth.”

Striving to overcome challenges

In the 2020-2025 term, despite heavy pressure from a large population and vast territory, Dong Nai’s education network continued to expand. The province now has over 1,300 educational institutions from preschool to university, serving more than 1.2 million students and learners. According to the latest statistics, the scale of Dong Nai’s education sector ranks only behind Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City nationwide.

According to Truong Thi Kim Hue, Member of the Provincial Party Committee and Director of the Department of Education and Training, during the past term, the province continued to prioritize training and professional development for teachers to meet the demands of educational reform. Dong Nai’s teaching staff has effectively implemented the 2018 General Education Program since its launch in 2021, with full rollout now completed from grade 1 through grade 12.

At the same time, significant resources were invested in solidifying school facilities. After the structural merger, Dong Nai reached the following rates of permanent classrooms: preschools 90.3%, primary schools 87.6%, lower secondary 95.6%, and upper secondary 99.1%. By July 2025, 69.78% of public schools at all levels from preschool to high school had met national standards.

To mobilize resources for education and reduce pressure on the state budget, Dong Nai continued to promote socialized investment in the sector. Currently, the province has a total of 240 non-public schools, including 200 preschools, 8 primary schools, 4 lower secondary schools, and 28 upper secondary schools. This network of non-public institutions operates stably, making important contributions to meeting the diverse learning needs of residents.

Notably, in the 2020-2025 term, Dong Nai officially welcomed its first international school in Tran Bien Ward, as well as a new campus of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education in Dong Xoai Ward. In addition, some private schools in the province boldly innovated, offering bilingual English programs and international curricula from the United States and Australia.

Regarding the development of schools to train high-quality human resources, Do Dang Bao Linh, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, noted that Dong Nai currently has 4 universities, 2 university branches, 13 colleges, and 8 intermediate schools. The scale of higher and vocational education in Dong Nai is second only to Ho Chi Minh City in the Southeast region. Vocational education in the province has increasingly met enterprises’ demand for labor, especially in key industries.

Education reform in the new term

While the education sector has made many efforts in reform, its scale and quality must continue to be upgraded, especially to overcome the shortage of high-quality human resources in the province’s key development areas. This challenge is a critical task as the province pursues socio-economic growth based on internal strength, potential, and competitive advantages, ensuring balanced and harmonious development across regions, with a determination to achieve double-digit growth in the coming years.

According to Truong Thi Kim Hue, Member of the Provincial Party Committee and Director of the Department of Education and Training, during the 2025–2030 term, the education sector will continue pursuing fundamental and comprehensive reforms in alignment with socio-economic development goals and labor market demands. Key priorities include improving the quality of teaching and learning; strengthening the education of moral character, creativity, patriotism, and national pride; and integrating academic knowledge, ethics, aesthetics, and life skills with physical education for students.

The education sector will accelerate the application of information technology and digital transformation to create smart, lifelong learning environments. School networks will be planned to meet both national and international standards, with a focus on developing smart and happy schools. Investment will be directed toward upgrading educational facilities, especially in remote areas, ethnic minority communities, and border regions.

One particularly important focus identified by the sector is improving the quality of teachers and educational managers at all levels. Dong Nai province will encourage private investment in high-quality schools and internationally accredited institutions, while formulating preferential policies for specialized schools and boarding schools for ethnic minorities. Training will focus on providing workers with qualifications, skills, and scientific methods aligned with technological revolutions and digital transformation.

Attracting and retaining talent in the fields of education and management; developing Dong Nai into a regional center for education, training, and vocational education, with a focus on mobilizing resources to transform Dong Nai University (Tam Hiep Ward) into a modern, high-quality higher education institution aligned with regional and international standards. Developing and implementing chain-based training models connected to startup centers, innovation hubs, and major domestic and global enterprises and corporations.

In the new stage of development, the province has determined to continue investing in and building healthcare and educational infrastructure to meet international standards gradually. Policies will be designed to attract and value talent, with a strong emphasis on training high-quality human resources, particularly in the fields of economics, science and technology, digital transformation, healthcare, and education. The principle of placing people at the center, as the subject, the resource, and the ultimate goal of the development process, will continue to be upheld throughout the 2025-2030 term.

Students of Loc An Primary and Lower Secondary School, Tan Tien Commune, Dong Nai Province, participate in a volleyball competition. Photo: Contributor

Dr. Lam Thanh Hien, Rector of Lac Hong University (Tran Bien Ward), stated: “In the coming years, the university will align closely with the province’s development orientation, focusing on training in key fields such as information technology, logistics, automotive technology, and especially semiconductor chip technology. Alongside professional expertise, the university will continue to invest in foreign language skills to help students become global learners in the new era”.

Dong Nai University is fully aware of its significant responsibility, as for the first time, the Draft Political Report of the 11th Provincial Party Congress (2025–2030 term) has clearly set the goal of building Dong Nai University into a key institution for training high-quality human resources for the province. Therefore, following its restructuring, the University Council and the Board of Rectors have resolved to make breakthroughs in improving teaching quality, expanding training scale, and strengthening campuses in the northern areas of the province in order to narrow regional development gaps.

By Cong Nghia - Translated by Quynh Nhu, Minho