With the trend of integration and globalization, nations like Vietnam have to take very practical measures to innovate and improve professional quality to meet the practical requirements of integration. One of the sectors with the potential to impact business and social living standards is higher education. On May 30th, aiming to contribute to the improvement of Vietnam’s education, DTU organized the seminar entitled: “Vietnamese Education in the Age of Integration and Globalization” in which was attended by leaders from the Department of Education and Training and from Danang and Quang Nam government agencies.
Prof. Le Cong Co speaks at the seminar
Distinguished Teacher Le Cong Co, DTU President and Provost, said: “In the ’60s, Vietnam’s Saigon was dubbed Pearl of the Far East and the University of Saigon belonged to the crème de la crème of Southeast Asian education. The war then left a deep impact on the country, such that education and many other sectors have not yet developed to their full potential, even though peace has been restored for 40 years. The only way to get our country on a par with others is by creating a strong foundation of knowledge and resources. To do this, we need the contribution of a well-qualified young generation. DTU organized the Duy Tan Aspiration night to arouse patriotism and national pride in the young, to realize the ‘Duy Tan Dream: International Collaboration, Broadening our Intellect for a Brighter Future, Marching into the World’. Kicking off this intellectual forum with today’s seminar, the university hopes to receive many constructive, new ideas to contribute to the project of innovative higher education at DTU, focusing in particular on all levels of education nationwide, contributing to the training of high-quality, talented human resources, to bring our country up to an international level.”
Many ideas were suggested at the seminar, striving to clarify issues such as why integration is needed, how to integrate, what types of integration and so on. Integration is indispensable for the overall development of Vietnam and for the expansion of international relations, in order to narrow the gap with other countries. It will help workers, especially skilled young workers, to find suitable careers. To realize this, a strong educational foundation is necessary, to train people according to the nation’s current needs. In 2013, Resolution 29 on the Fundamental and Comprehensive Innovation of Education and Training was issued, publicized as a breakthrough in education. To actually attain the expected results, however, one needs more unity and harmonization between educational institutions. For this reason, the current seminar and workshops aim at discovering the reason why Vietnam’s education is not yet as developed as it should be. When we attempt to develop education, we must make science the foundation of higher educational quality, and, at the same time, work with other countries to develop a viable educational system, tailored to evoke the creative thinking of our younger generation.
...and poses for a picture with the guests
With many years of experience in Education and Training, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Long, former Director of the Danang Department for Education and Training, said: “I highly value DTU’s initiative in organizing this forum where we can exchange ideas and discuss them, and try to resolve currently pressing issues about the integration of higher education, based on a common approach. We must integrate deeply and comprehensively, in a disciplined way, but, at the same time, we should not be dogmatic or oblivious to the history and the conditions of our country. Educational institutions like DTU need to continue establishing international partnerships and reinforce their internal strengths to develop even more. DTU is a dynamic university with many effective ways of focusing on integration. DTU has collaborated with foreign universities, to import advanced curricula and initiate student exchanges, so we should share information on their experiences with other educational institutions.”
DTU is the first and largest private university in Central Vietnam, graduating over 40,000 highly-qualified workers during its 20 years of development and meeting social demands in this time of integration. DTU will continue to organize more workshops like this one to bring together academic leaders to share their ideas and make practical contributions, accelerating the country’s integration process.
(Media Center)