On the morning of October 22, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son presented to the National Assembly proposals on three draft laws: the Law amending and supplementing certain provisions of the Education Law; the Law on Higher Education (amended); and the Law on Vocational Education (amended).

Regarding the amended Education Law, Minister Nguyen Kim Son said the draft aims to institutionalize several important policies of the Communist Party, especially Resolution 71, including mandatory lower secondary education, universal preschool education for children aged 3 to 5, a unified national textbook series, and the removal of school boards at public education institutions.

Specifically, the State will supply a standardized set of textbooks for use across the entire country.

The government will also regulate free distribution of textbooks to students and implement appropriate socialization solutions for textbooks to ensure sustainability and improved education quality, in line with Party and State guidelines and current educational realities.

The draft law also eliminates the requirement for a lower secondary school diploma, replacing it with confirmation from school principals that students have completed the curriculum.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, this change simplifies administrative procedures, reduces testing pressure, and aligns with international practices, where many developed countries do not issue lower secondary diplomas but instead confirm program completion for streamlining or continued education.

Another new point is the transfer of authority to issue high school diplomas from provincial education directors to school principals.

It also removes the authority of local education department heads under district-level People’s Committees to issue lower secondary diplomas, instead assigning the responsibility of confirming program completion to the heads of the institutions implementing the curriculum.

In the evaluation report, Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society, Nguyen Dac Vinh, expressed support for removing the regulation on lower secondary diplomas and maintaining confirmation of program completion by lower secondary school principals.

The committee also suggested clarifying the criteria and procedures for issuing vocational secondary education diplomas to establish equivalency with high school diplomas.

They recommended adding clear principles and mechanisms for managing, sharing, and securing educational data and proposed regulations for assessing and recognizing alternative certificates within the national education system.

Nguyen Dac Vinh emphasized the committee's agreement with the proposal that the State provides a unified national textbook series, reflecting the Party's policy on public education materials.

For local education materials, the committee agreed that provincial-level professional agencies should be authorized to draft them.

Provincial-level appraisal councils will evaluate the materials, and approval authority will be transferred to provincial chairpersons to ensure local autonomy.

Diversifying vocational training networks

Regarding the amended Law on Vocational Education, Minister Nguyen Kim Son stated that the draft introduces vocational secondary schools as an equivalent level to high schools to enhance educational streamlining and career orientation, helping to universalize upper secondary education while producing a skilled, youthful workforce.

It also removes school boards from public vocational education institutions.

The draft law improves cooperation mechanisms between schools and businesses by forming diverse networks of institutions involved in vocational training.

It encourages businesses to participate directly in designing curricula, teaching, internships, and assessment, and proposes the creation of a training fund for corporate human resources.

The draft also allows a broader range of institutions to engage in vocational education, including schools, centers, businesses, cooperatives, and other organizations, forming a flexible and extensive vocational education network with increased autonomy for training institutions.

It introduces regulations on recognizing accumulated learning outcomes and vocational competencies, enabling learners to transition or transfer programs with greater ease.

University law draft prioritizes autonomy and governance

Regarding the amended Law on Higher Education, Minister Nguyen Kim Son emphasized that the draft confirms the State’s role in creating frameworks and ensuring fairness and resources in higher education while reinforcing the legal right of autonomy for universities, regardless of financial independence.

Breakthrough changes in the draft focus on system reform, governance enhancement, better coordination, targeted investment, development of a modern interlinked education system, and attracting outstanding researchers.

It strengthens student support policies, removes superficial accreditation systems, and increases internal accountability.

Notably, the draft proposes the removal of school boards at public institutions, except for public universities formed under intergovernmental agreements.

It clarifies the roles of the executive board, school board, and investors in private institutions.

The minister emphasized that autonomy is a legal right, not dependent on financial capability.

Additionally, the draft introduces mechanisms to suspend admissions, revoke licenses, and shut down training programs that fail to meet quality standards.

Tran Thuong