The directive is outlined in the Ministry of Education and Training's guidance on implementing key tasks for the 2026-2027 academic year in higher education and teacher-training colleges.

One of the ministry's main priorities is to modernize curricula and teaching methods to better meet labor market demand for highly skilled workers and the increasingly diverse learning needs of students.

Accordingly, higher education institutions have been asked to continue reviewing and updating their academic programs, prioritizing strategic technology sectors and aligning curricula with international standards.

Universities must also revise learning outcomes and integrate digital knowledge, digital skills, innovation capabilities and artificial intelligence applications into bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs, taking into account the requirements of each discipline and qualification level.

At the same time, institutions are expected to eliminate, integrate or replace outdated content while fostering independent thinking, critical reasoning, creativity, professional ethics and responsible AI use among students.

The ministry has specifically instructed institutions to expand teaching and learning in foreign languages for courses and degree programs that have traditionally been delivered in Vietnamese.

Universities must also develop roadmaps for making English a second language in educational institutions, strengthening international integration and attracting more international students to Vietnam.

Institutions are required to establish annual targets for foreign-language-taught programs and courses, faculty and student exchanges, and international student recruitment.

The effectiveness of international cooperation should be assessed through tangible educational and research outcomes, as well as actual improvements in quality.

The ministry also called for stronger internal quality assurance, inspections and supervision of joint training programs and articulation programs that allow students to progress between qualification levels.

These activities must comply with relevant regulations and meet established quality standards.

Higher education institutions are required to regularly review their training and admissions activities and take responsibility for maintaining academic standards.

Programs and disciplines that fail to meet quality requirements must cease training and enrollment activities.

Institutions should also review their academic program structures and adjust enrollment capacity in disciplines experiencing weak demand or unsatisfactory educational outcomes.

The ministry encouraged universities to increase research-based, project-based and experiential learning opportunities from the early stages of students' studies.

Institutions should promote personalized learning, independent study and deeper engagement with academic subjects.

In addition, universities are expected to strengthen institutional culture, student ethics, academic discipline, workplace discipline, teamwork and problem-solving skills.

Digital technologies, artificial intelligence and modern professional tools should be incorporated into education to improve productivity and prepare students for changing workplace requirements.

The ministry emphasized the importance of ensuring that students complete meaningful academic workloads, meet quality standards and undergo rigorous assessment of their actual learning outcomes and graduation classifications.

Thanh Hung