The directive was delivered during a working session on April 25, where the Prime Minister met with the Ministry of Education and Training to review key tasks, address challenges and consider proposals.

According to reports presented at the meeting, the education sector has been actively advancing universal preschool education for children aged 3-5, ensuring stability and substantive implementation. A unified national textbook system is also set to be introduced from the 2026-2027 academic year, aiming to standardize content, teaching methods and school organization across the country.

The sector is focusing on training high-quality human resources to support key industries and advanced technologies, with 102 strategic training disciplines and 92 talent development programs already in place.

At the same time, efforts are being made to promote English as a second language in schools, alongside strengthening science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, with a growing number of research outputs being effectively applied in practice.

In his concluding remarks, the Prime Minister emphasized the critical role of education and training in achieving national development targets, particularly in improving total factor productivity, labor productivity growth and the proportion of trained workers.

He called on the ministry to strengthen Party-building within the sector, improve internal regulations, reform working methods and enhance accountability among leaders. Officials who fail to meet performance standards or deliver quality outcomes should be promptly replaced.

The Prime Minister also requested a review and revision of regulations governing the ministry’s functions and organizational structure, under the principle that each task should be assigned to a single responsible agency. Draft decrees and circulars must be submitted alongside proposed laws and National Assembly resolutions to avoid delays in implementation.

A key focus is the reorganization of public service units in education. The Prime Minister directed a thorough review, restructuring and consolidation of higher education and vocational institutions, including the merger or closure of those not meeting standards. Internal organizational structures must also be streamlined to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

In early education, the government aims to expand universal preschool access for children aged 3-5 while maintaining and enhancing quality for those aged 5-6.

For general education, the Prime Minister stressed the need to ensure sufficient unified textbooks nationwide from the 2026-2027 school year, and to prepare for the 2026 high school graduation exam in a safe, serious and effective manner. Programs to improve foreign language teaching and learning should also be implemented, with the long-term goal of making English a second language in schools.

In higher education and vocational training, the focus will be on improving quality and expanding talent programs linked to scientific research and technological development, particularly in areas such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Large-scale national initiatives for training and retraining human resources in strategic sectors will also be deployed.

The ministry has been tasked with working closely with local authorities to ensure adequate staffing of teachers and school personnel in line with regulations, and to finalize policies on salary and allowances for educators, especially those working in remote and disadvantaged areas.

It must also urgently complete proposals to reduce conditional business lines and administrative procedures, submitting them to the Ministry of Finance for consolidation into a government resolution.

“If each ministry and sector promptly cuts unnecessary business conditions and administrative procedures that are easy to implement for people and enterprises, it will immediately make a significant contribution to economic growth,” the Prime Minister stressed.

He further urged the ministry to expedite the completion and submission of delayed policies and proposals.

Regarding staffing plans for preschool and general education teachers for the 2026-2030 period, the Prime Minister assigned Deputy PM Le Tien Chau to oversee and direct the implementation of related tasks.

Tran Thuong