Education New Zealand (ENZ) and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training (DoET) shared New Zealand’s expertise in preparing students for the future at a seminar held in the city recently with the participation of 200 high and secondary school representatives.

This is the first cooperation between the two entities, conducted as part of the New Zealand - Vietnam Strategic Engagement Plan on Education signed during Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to New Zealand last March.

According to key findings in a report from The Economist Intelligent Unit, the rapid development of digital technology and the globalized nature of economic systems are creating an entirely new set of educational challenges for the world to adapt to. The workers of the future will need to master a suite of adaptable interpersonal, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, and navigate an increasingly digital and automated world.

For developing countries like Vietnam, where young people (from 10 to 24) account for approximately 40 per cent of the population, the need to prepare a workforce for the future starting from secondary to high school sector is even more pressing. 

As the leading country in The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Educating the Future Index in 2017, New Zealand was delighted to share its outstanding practice with Vietnamese partners at the seminar.

The Future Index specifically assesses the effectiveness of education systems in preparing students for a successful global career. New Zealand was ranked the best education system in the world in preparing students with interdisciplinary skills, creative and analytical skills, entrepreneurial skills, leadership skills, digital and technical skills, global awareness, and civic education.

The seminar focused on New Zealand’s curriculum framework for future skills, the effectiveness of New Zealand’s teacher education system, career counselling, cultural diversity and tolerance which supports students in having a global outlook.

The seminar also saw the exchange of experiences from New Zealand’s high school sector in developing international networks to provide global exposure for their students and how this practice can be applied to Vietnamese institutions.

Mr. John Laxon, Education New Zealand’s Regional Director of South, Southeast Asia, & the Middle East, noted the success of the seminar and how it was another important step towards a long-term commitment with the city’s DoET.

“We are thrilled that Vietnamese families and students are increasingly choosing to study in New Zealand, with 36 per cent more Vietnamese school students and 14 per cent more university students enrolling in New Zealand institutions over the past year,” he said.

“Conducting this seminar for the first time alongside DoET allowed us to share further about New Zealand’s future focused approach in schools, which promotes inquisitive and project-based learning, and provides flexible learning pathways for students. New Zealand is committed to the education partnership with Vietnam, to future-proofing Vietnamese students, and enabling Vietnamese students to pursue successful global careers.”

“More importantly, the seminar was a fantastic platform for both Education New Zealand and DoET to further strengthen our partnership and eventually materialize our objective of achieving a 30 per cent increase in the number of Vietnamese students studying in New Zealand,” said Mr. Laxon.

VN Economic Times