Education and training sector expected to make a breakthrough, turning English into a second language

On the afternoon of January 16, Comrade Thai Bao, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Organization Commission of the Provincial Party Committee, and Secretary of the Party Committee of Dong Nai Province’s Party agencies, held a working session with the Party Committee of the Department of Education and Training to review Party-building work and organizational restructuring.

Comrade Thai Bao, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Organizing Commission, speaks at the meeting. Photo: Cong Nghia

Also attending the working session were leaders of the Organization Commission of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial Party Committee’s Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilization, the Department of Home Affairs, and the Office of the Provincial Party Committee.

Reporting at the working session, a representative of the Party Committee of the Department of Education and Training said that in implementing resolutions on the reorganization of administrative units and the organizational apparatus, the Party Committee had achieved many important results, creating a solid foundation for the sector’s development.

Specifically, based on the merger of the former Departments of Education and Training of Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc Provinces, the new organizational apparatus of the Dong Nai Department of Education and Training has been operating stably since July 2025, with seven specialized and equivalent divisions. Regarding the Party building work, the Department’s Party Committee currently has 358 Party members in 25 cells. The Party Committee has promptly consolidated its Executive Committee, Standing Committee, and Inspection Commission, and issued working regulations and an action program for the 2025–2030 term.

Provincial Party Committee member and Director of the Dong Nai Department of Education and Training Truong Thi Kim Hue reports at the working session. Photo: Cong Nghia

In 2025, Party member recruitment reached 116.7% of the assigned target, with seven new members admitted against a target of six. Assessment results showed that 100% of Party cells had thoroughly implemented and disseminated the resolutions, and more than 90% of Party cells and Party members fulfilled their duties well or better. However, current difficulties lie in the fact that most members of the Executive Committee and the Inspection Commission are working in a concurrent capacity and still lack in-depth expertise in Party affairs.

At the working session, leaders of the Department of Education and Training frankly pointed out major challenges, including a sector-wide shortage of 3,666 teachers compared to the assigned staffing quota, while school infrastructure in some communes, especially those in the northern part of the province, remains difficult and inadequate. In addition, the arrangement of officials in charge of education in many wards and communes after the implementation of the two-tier local government model still reveals many shortcomings, with a lack of personnel who possess strong professional expertise.

Speaking at the working session, Comrade Thai Bao, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Head of the Organization Commission of the Provincial Party Committee, noted that the Education and Training sector has always received special attention from society and high expectations from parents. Sharing the sector’s difficulties under pressure from social media and school violence, he said that although the school system has been given due attention, further investment is still needed to increase the rate of solid and permanent school facilities, especially in the northern communes of the province after the merger.

Comrade Thai Bao emphasized that the targets set in the Resolution of the 1st Provincial Party Congress for the 2025-2030 term related to the education and training sector are very ambitious. Therefore, the sector must develop highly specific plans and mobilize resources for implementation in order to begin execution immediately in 2026. Clear annual targets should be set, with priority given to concrete tasks to be carried out first, especially in remote, disadvantaged, and border areas.

He also stressed that innovation and creativity are essential to improving the overall quality of education. In particular, making English the second language in schools should be regarded as a breakthrough solution to serve the province’s development. The Department must put in place solutions to recruit a sufficient number of teachers to address current shortages and ensure the quality of teaching and learning. In addition, Comrade Thai Bao supported the policy of establishing educational advisory teams in communes and wards to help resolve professional difficulties, and at the same time requested that proposals be submitted to the Provincial People’s Committee to build a contingent of commune-level education managers with strong professional expertise.

Comrade Thai Bao particularly noted that the Party Committee and the Department’s Board of Directors must continue to uphold the spirit of solidarity and spread it throughout all subordinate units. The Party Committee’s working regulations must be rigorous and ensure the proper implementation of the principle of democratic centralism. Regarding personnel work, no step or procedure in appointments must be omitted, and cadre assessment must be carried out in a substantive and realistic manner. At the same time, efforts in political and ideological education should continue to be strengthened, and the use of social media by officials and Party members must be properly managed to prevent any violations.

 By Cong Nghia - Translated by Thu Cuc, Thu Ha