Education and training expected to help build a civilized, modern and happy Dong Nai

On September 19, Dong Nai City Party Committee (CPC)’s standing members held a working session with the city's education and training sector. The meeting was chaired by Vu Hong Van, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the CPC; Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the CPC and Chairman of Dong Nai People's Committee; Vo Tan Duc, Deputy Secretary of the CPC; and Thai Bao, Deputy Secretary of the CPC and Head of the CPC's Organization Commission.

Secretary of the CPC Vu Hong Van meets with managers of education and training sector. Photo: Cong Nghia

This was the first time the CPC’s standing members had directly chaired a working session with the city's education and training sector. Nearly 800 delegates attended the meeting, including managers of educational institutions from preschool and general education to university level across the city.

A special conference on education

Opening the working session, Secretary of the CPC Vu Hong Van emphasized that Dong Nai is facing a historic development opportunity following its official elevation to city status on April 30, 2026. On July 21, 2026, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 16-NQ/TW on the construction and development of Dong Nai through 2035, with a vision to 2065. Meanwhile, the National Assembly has also passed the Urban Development Law, which will take effect on October 1.

Secretary of the CPC Vu Hong Van speaks at the opening of the working session with the city's education and training sector. Photo: Cong Nghia

To make effective use of these opportunities, the quality of education and training is regarded as a key factor determining the city's sustainable development. The city leadership is determined to unlock all available development resources to increase investment in infrastructure, healthcare and education, which are key pillars of development. In particular, education and training must serve as an important foundation for building a new generation of Dong Nai residents with knowledge, innovative thinking, dynamism, creativity and compassion.

Secretary of the CPC said Dong Nai must strive to become a modern and happy city and an attractive destination for people from all over to live, study and work. To achieve this, the city needs a well-planned, scientific and modern development strategy for education and training. The city leadership expects every child born in Dong Nai to have access to high-quality healthcare and benefit from a strong educational foundation, thereby developing critical thinking skills and a spirit of self-directed learning.

Many insightful proposals

Encouraged by the close attention of the CPC’s standing members, many school principals and education managers shared their concerns and aspirations and proposed solutions to help Dong Nai's education sector develop rapidly, sustainably and substantively.

Delegates attend the conference. Photo: Cong Nghia

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lam Thanh Hien, Rector of Lac Hong University, speaks at the conference. Photo: Cong Nghia

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lam Thanh Hien, Rector of Lac Hong University, proposed that the city introduce more flexible and favorable mechanisms to attract and retain highly qualified human resources. He also called for greater attention to training young residents of Dong Nai so that they can contribute to their hometown’s development in the future. Hien also proposed that the city allocate land bank to universities so they can quickly expand their training capacity and meet the city's demand for highly qualified workers.

Sharing the same expectations, Dr. Nguyen Van Toan, Vice Rector in charge of Dong Nai University, said that after overcoming a difficult period, the university is undergoing significant changes thanks to close support from the city leadership and relevant departments and agencies. In 2026, admission scores for the university's teacher education majors were among the highest in the country. Thanks to the city's incentive policies, the university has attracted more than 30 lecturers with doctoral degrees. Its training facility in Binh Phuoc ward has also recently officially opened.

Dr. Nguyen Van Toan, Vice Rector in charge of Dong Nai University, reports on the university's progress to the CPC’s standing members. Photo: Cong Nghia

Tran Thi Vuong Nhi, Principal of Le Quy Don - Quyet Thang Private Primary, Secondary and High School in Tran Bien ward, expressed her strong support for the CPC Secretary’s people-centered approach to education development, particularly the goal of ensuring equal access to education for all children and residents. She proposed more equal policies for students at private and public schools. Policies available to students at public schools, she said, should also be extended to students at private schools.

Nhi also proposed creating the best possible conditions for children with disabilities and autism to participate in inclusive education programs, enabling them to develop their abilities and integrate more effectively into the community. At the same time, she called for stronger measures to build a safe and healthy cyberspace and protect children and students from the negative impacts of social media.

Principal Tran Thi Vuong Nhi of Le Quy Don - Quyet Thang Private Primary, Secondary and High School expresses her support for the CPC Secretary’s view on equal access to education. Photo: Cong Nghia

Dong Nai's education and training sector is among the largest in the country

Dong Nai currently has 924 preschool and general education institutions, including 674 public schools and 250 non-public institutions. The number of pupils and students exceeds one million, making the city's education and training sector the third-largest in the country only after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Dong Nai is also among 16 localities nationwide to have completed the restructuring of public educational institutions at an early stage ahead of the 2026-2027 academic year, cutting the number of public education institutions and units by 453, or 40.34%.

At the conference, many education managers also called on Dong Nai to introduce specific incentive policies for preschool teachers and increase investment in facilities at disadvantaged school sites and schools in areas with large concentrations of industrial parks. They also proposed increasing health insurance support levels for students and paying greater attention to teacher training and professional development. Some education managers said that after completing the restructuring of public educational institutions, the Department of Education and Training should step up training to improve management capacity and help education managers quickly shift from traditional "management" thinking to modern school "governance."

Building a new generation of Dong Nai residents

Speaking to education managers across the sector, Secretary of the CPC Vu Hong Van affirmed that education plays a particularly important role in shaping the city's development in the years ahead. He therefore stressed the need to value teachers and invest systematically in every level of education. In particular, preschools should not be viewed merely as places for "childcare" but as the first foundation for children's comprehensive development in physical health, language, thinking, emotions and social skills, preparing them for a strong start in Grade 1. A key task is to create a safe childcare environment in which children receive care, affection and a strong sense of responsibility from teachers, while taking a firm stand against school violence.

An overview of the working session between the CPC’s standing members and the city's education and training sector. Photo: Cong Nghia

The head of the city’s Party Organization noted that the planning of the preschool network must closely reflect actual population distribution rather than traditional administrative boundaries. Dong Nai must adhere to the principle that wherever there are industrial parks, urban areas or social housing areas, there should be preschools. Acknowledging the pressures, demanding working conditions and relatively inadequate incomes of preschool teachers, the Secretary of the CPC asked the municipal People's Committee to soon introduce practical support policies, particularly measures to help teachers access social housing so that they can remain committed to the city's education sector.

Analyzing general education, beginning with primary schools, the Secretary of the CPC emphasized the need to help students build foundational competencies, starting with reading, writing, numeracy, observation skills and the ability to complete age-appropriate tasks independently. Particular attention should also be paid to character education and teaching students to respect and behave courteously toward adults. At the secondary and high school levels, the goal is to help students move from simply acquiring basic knowledge to developing systematic thinking and applying what they have learned flexibly to real-life problems. Career guidance should also be provided in a timely manner, based on students' abilities and strengths and aligned with the city's development priorities.

Another important point highlighted by the Secretary of the CPC was the need for Dong Nai's pupils and students to gain a deeper understanding of the history, traditions and culture of their homeland through engaging methods, avoiding dry and mechanical approaches to learning. The entire sector should seriously implement the direction given by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam at the ceremony announcing the resolution on the establishment of Dong Nai City on May 18, 2026: "Dong Nai must always attach equal importance to cultural development and economic development." The Secretary of the CPC expressed confidence that every teacher would become an ambassador of inspiration, instilling in students a love for their homeland, noble ideals and a strong desire to contribute to building a civilized, modern and compassionate Dong Nai City.

Secretary of the CPC Vu Hong Van presents awards to pupils and students with outstanding results in the 2025-2026 academic year. Photo: Cong Nghia

To meet the demand for human resources in the new development period, the Secretary of the CPC called on Dong Nai University and Lac Hong University to become role models and pioneers in improving training quality. The city is determined to build a tertiary education ecosystem that effectively serves the restructuring of the economy. The universities should gather resources on developing key fields such as engineering, logistics, aviation, business and management, high-tech agriculture and environmental studies.

The tertiary education system must quickly provide enough highly qualified human resources who meet international standards in both quantity and quality. This workforce need to possess strong professional knowledge, foreign-language proficiency, digital skills and a professional work ethic, and be ready to meet the operational requirements of the Long Thanh Special Economic Zone, with Long Thanh International Airport serving as the city's core development hub.

Deputy Secretary of the CPC and Chairman of Dong Nai People's Committee Nguyen Van Ut presents awards to pupils and students with outstanding results in the 2025-2026 academic year. Photo: Cong Nghia

City leaders reward pupils and students for their commitment to learning. Photo: Cong Nghia

Managers of education and training sector attend the working session with the CPC’s standing members. Photo: Cong Nghia

By C.Nghia – Translated by M.Nguyet, Thu Ha