About 21.6 million Vietnamese students started the new academic year, with official ceremonies held across the country on September 5.

Party and State officials attended a number of the ceremonies throughout the nation, particularly in rural areas and ethnic minority communities.

Vietnam currently has more than 13,800 nursery schools, 15,300 primary schools, 10,800 junior high schools, and 2,700 senior high schools.

The 2014–2015 school year is considered particularly important since it will see the implementation of comprehensive educational reforms.

The sector will develop new curricula, design new textbooks, pilot the granting of autonomy to State-run universities, and set up a joint high school graduation and university entrance examination.

In primary education, teachers will provide comments on students’ performance rather than marks, while high school students will be able to become involved in creative activities to enhance their soft skills and moral compass.

VNA/VNN