VietNamNet Bridge - More than 22 million students nationwide went back to school on September 5, as the 2011-12 academic year begins.
The nation's leaders attended opening ceremonies at various schools around the country to give the new school year a proper send-off.

At the 115-year-old Quoc Hoc Hue High School for Gifted Students in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on September 1, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said, the Party and State always considered the development of education a top priority in the country's development strategy and a decisive element for poverty reduction, industrialization and sustainable development.

He stressed the special significance of the 2011-12 academic year, noting that this would be the first school year in which the educational sector would implement the 11th National Party Congress Resolution and the education development strategy for 2011-20, with a focus on rapid development of human resources and fundamental and comprehensive modernization of the educational system.

Established in 1896, Quoc Hoc Hue High School has had a proud tradition, with President Ho Chi Minh and many senior officials and thinkers in the Party studying or teaching here, Dung said.

Addressing teachers and students of Duong Quang Ham School in the northern province of Hung Yen's Van Giang District on the same day, Dinh The Huynh, a member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the committee's Commission for Publicity and Education, urged students to study harder to contribute to national development.

He urged the provincial educational sector to continue providing comprehensive education, building a healthy educational environment and promoting the development of students' creativity and innovation, with a focus on improved foreign language competence and orienting students towards fields in need of high-quality human resources.

On September 2, Deputy Prime Minister, Nguyen Thien Nhan, joined more than 2,500 students at Viet Duc High School in Ha Noi's Hoan Kiem District to celebrate the beginning of the new school year.

He praised the achievements made by the school's teachers and students over the past 56 years and encouraged them to continue upholding their tradition.

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan attended the opening ceremony of the Chan Ly Kindergarten in the northern province of Ha Nam's Ly Nhan District on September 2, while National Assembly vice chairman Uong Chu Luu beat the ceremonial drum to signal the opening of the new academic year at Lam Son High School for Gifted Students in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

Earlier last week, National Assembly vice chairwoman, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, attended opening ceremonies at Tan Ky Primary School in the northern province of Hai Duong's Tu Ky District, while Minister of Education and Training, Pham Vu Luan, visited Thanh Oai High School in Ha Noi's Thanh Oai District.

The beginning of the new school year at some high schools in Hanoi on September 4:


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