On the morning of November 17, 2024, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) and the Vietnam Education Trade Union organized the 16th ceremony to confer the titles of People's Teacher and Distinguished Teacher, while also recognizing outstanding educators and educational administrators of 2024.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son; First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Bui Quang Huy; Deputy Ministers of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son and Nguyen Thi Kim Chi; Chairman of the Vietnam Education Trade Union Nguyen Ngoc An; representatives from the Office of the President, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of National Defense, and Vietnam Women's Union; along with leaders from various departments, bureaus, and units under MOET and the Vietnam Education Trade Union.
At the ceremony, authorized by the President of the country, MOET organized the conferment of People's Teacher titles to 21 educators from various ministries, sectors, and localities, and presented Distinguished Teacher titles to 65 educators directly under MOET.
In addition to the People's Teacher and Distinguished Teacher titles, since 2017, MOET has organized the selection of "Outstanding Educators of the Year" to recognize and honor educators and educational administrators who have made exceptionally outstanding contributions, creating positive and effective changes in their units with significant impact throughout the sector. This initiative aims to motivate and promote the spirit of innovation and creativity among educators and educational administrators nationwide, contributing to the successful implementation of fundamental and comprehensive education and training reforms.
From 2017 to 2023, through seven rounds of outstanding educator selection, the Minister of Education and Training has signed decisions to award certificates of merit to 1,600 educators. In 2024, 251 outstanding educators representing over 1.6 million teachers nationwide were recognized by the Minister of Education and Training.
Since becoming a teacher, Ms. Hanh has believed that education is not just about imparting knowledge through the mind but also through the heart, and that one must "educate the person" for beloved students.
"With this philosophy, throughout my 34 years standing at the podium, witnessing the ups and downs, changes, and breakthroughs in our nation's education system, despite countless difficulties and hardships, my colleagues and I have remained steady at the helm, firm in our resolve, all for our beloved students and for the sacred mission of teachers: raising educational standards, training human resources, and nurturing talent for the locality and the country," Ms. Hanh shared.
While expressing her emotion at receiving the most prestigious honor bestowed by the State upon educators, Ms. Hanh also expressed concerns and contemplations about demonstrating higher responsibility and living, working, and contributing in a manner worthy of the noble title conferred by the Party and State.
Ms. Hanh expressed confidence that with the attention of the Party and State, along with the legal framework and operational mechanisms being adjusted and supplemented in the draft Teacher Law, the teaching force will be confident and assured in fulfilling their great mission.
Extending congratulations to the 21 People's Teachers, 65 Distinguished Teachers, and 251 outstanding educators representing 1.6 million educators present at the ceremony, the Minister affirmed: "Throughout our long history, the education sector has achieved many important and meaningful results and accomplishments, making significant contributions to the cause of building, defending, and developing the country."
Particularly during the period of fundamental and comprehensive education and training reform over the past years, following the spirit of Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW, Vietnam's education and training sector has achieved many important results.
The fundamental and comprehensive education reform activities have taken place extensively and uniformly across the country at all educational levels and stages. The spirit of educational innovation is present in most places throughout the country. The quality of education and training at all levels continues to be renewed and improved. Notably, reform activities have occurred most profoundly in general education and higher education.
Regarding general education, the implementation of the General Education Program 2018, with its positive shift from primarily providing knowledge to comprehensively developing learners' qualities and competencies, has achieved many positive results in the first five-year cycle. Accordingly, the quality of general education and mass education continues to increase.
Regarding higher education, university autonomy is being implemented extensively with gradual positive changes in academic, financial, and organizational autonomy.
The teaching force continues to receive attention from the Party, State, and Government with encouraging signals regarding policies and mechanisms to develop the workforce in both quantity and quality. Recently, in Conclusion 91-KL/TW of the Politburo on continuing to implement Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW, it was affirmed that there is a need to "Focus on reviewing, amending, supplementing, and perfecting mechanisms, policies, and laws on education and training, removing bottlenecks" and set the requirement to "soon develop a Law on Teachers."
Following this viewpoint and implementing Government directives, MOET has submitted and reported to the National Assembly at the ongoing 8th session. MOET is determined to develop the Teacher Law so that the teaching force can receive the Law with a spirit of "genuine excitement and true honor," as the General Secretary has stated.
According to the Minister, achieving such great and valuable results must be attributed to the leadership and concern of the Party and State, Government direction, coordination of relevant ministries, branches, and organizations, active participation of localities, attention from society, people, and parents. However, the particularly important role of educators must certainly be acknowledged. Excellent, dedicated, outstanding educators, especially distinguished teachers, play nuclear, leading roles with great influence.
Present at today's event are People's Teachers, Distinguished Teachers, and outstanding educators and educational administrators of the sector, essentially those who have played particularly important roles in educational reform and development. The Minister expressed recognition and high appreciation for the contributions of these teachers to the Education sector and to the country's scientific and innovative development over the years.
Working in education is difficult; providing genuine education that follows proper principles, aims for high quality, engages learners, and spreads the spirit of creativity and endless learning inspiration to students is even more challenging. To achieve the titles of People's Teacher, Distinguished Teacher, and outstanding educator, these teachers have been dedicated and passionate about their profession, made numerous contributions, and overcome difficulties and challenges to express themselves and spread positive values.
Emphasizing this point, the Minister hopes that teachers will continue to demonstrate their important roles, spreading to colleagues, students, and society the spirit of how they became excellent, contributing to increasing the number of excellent people in the sector and ensuring that excellence continues to spread forever.
These teachers have become distinguished educators, honored with the titles of People's Teacher, Distinguished Teacher, and outstanding educator. This recognition comes not only from their institutions and the Education sector but also from the Party and State. These teachers have made many contributions, outstanding contributions that demonstrate their excellence in the sector.
"On Teacher's Day, congratulating teachers is natural and appropriate. However, distinguished teachers deserve special congratulations because of their excellence and outstanding contributions to education and the community. Recognition of each individual educator's contributions is necessary.
Excellent individuals deserve special recognition, commendation, and thanks, precisely because of their special contributions to the Education sector and society. On this special occasion, I want to express pride, gratitude, thanks, and special congratulations to the distinguished educators selected for today's special occasion," the Minister shared.
In the coming period, there will be many challenges that the Education sector must face and overcome to successfully implement major tasks. After successfully implementing initial reforms in general education and higher education, it is time to focus on reforming and improving the quality of early childhood education.
This includes many tasks that need to be implemented such as: child enrollment issues, implementing the new early childhood education program, universalizing early childhood education by age, ensuring sufficient teachers and adequate infrastructure, mobilizing social resources, providing infrastructure, school safety, preventing violence and ensuring food safety, having enough teachers and ensuring conditions for teachers to work with peace of mind.
Additionally, general education has reached the point of completing the first cycle of curriculum and textbook reform. There needs to be an evaluation of the general education reform implementation process to draw lessons and adjust necessary content for in-depth reform implementation. This reform aims toward perfection and improving education quality, supporting disadvantaged areas, promoting advantaged areas, and moving toward international standards.
Under these conditions, English will become a second language as expected in the recent Conclusion 91-KL/TW of the Politburo. Many issues will need thorough and extensive resolution, such as human development in the new challenges of digital education, artificial intelligence (AI), and the rapid, continuous development and transformation of science and technology.
For higher education, along with implementing university autonomy in depth, one of the immediate tasks that needs to be accomplished is modernizing teaching infrastructure, laboratories, and research equipment, which remain impoverished and outdated compared to advanced universities worldwide.
When infrastructure is modernized, teaching content and methods, as well as assessment and evaluation, will accordingly undergo changes and rapid adaptation. With the rapid development of science, technology, and information technology, new educational models will emerge and develop, such as digital education and virtual education.
Regarding continuing education and building a learning society and lifelong learning, localities need to complete the network of continuing education institutions and diversify educational programs in continuing education institutions; promote literacy eradication efforts, paying attention to areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions and places with high illiteracy rates.
The Minister noted that the Education sector and the teaching force, along with educational administrators, always receive great attention and expectations from the Party, State, and people. This continues to be demonstrated in Conclusion 91-KL/TW of the Politburo on continuing to implement Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW on fundamental and comprehensive education and training reform.
The great expectations for the Education sector are expressed through major orientations and tasks, opening a new development phase with many challenges but also bringing great opportunities for sector development.
To successfully implement the major tasks mentioned above, the entire Education sector must be very determined and needs to meet many necessary conditions. Among these, the human factor, typically educators and educational administrators, plays a particularly important role.
People's Teachers, Distinguished Teachers, and outstanding educators will be the nuclei that best utilize their experience, wisdom, determination, and creativity while sharing, spreading, and inspiring positive influence, multiplying good things to the educator community.
These titles are recognition and honor for past achievements, the depth of expression and contribution of teachers, while also representing expectations and hopes that teachers will continue to shine and participate in contributing to educational development.
"The ancients said, 'Ginger becomes spicier with time, teachers become more skilled with years.' I respectfully hope that teachers will continue to self-learn, self-innovate, overcome personal limitations to best demonstrate their excellence.
Since you teachers are excellent people, you need to serve as nuclei for solving new and difficult problems. Excellence doesn't wait for assignments or requests; rather, excellence needs to be demonstrated through the spirit of dedication, shouldering responsibility, being proactive and active with work already done, being done, and needing to be done for the Education sector," the Minister conveyed.
At the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thi Kim Chi launched a special emulation campaign to promote the patriotic emulation movement, celebrating Party congresses at all levels leading to the XIV National Party Congress, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Ministry of Education and Training, and the VIII National Patriotic Emulation Congress of the Education sector.
According to the Deputy Minister, 2025 is a year of many important national events: the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 – February 3, 2025), the 50th anniversary of the complete liberation of the South and national reunification (April 30, 1975 – April 30, 2025), the 135th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth (May 19, 1890 – May 19, 2025), the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19, 1945 – August 19, 2025) and the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (September 2, 1945 – September 2, 2025), party congresses at all levels leading to the XIV National Party Congress, the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the National Ministry of Education (now MOET), and the VIII National Patriotic Emulation Congress of the Education sector leading to the XI National Patriotic Emulation Congress, along with commemorating the nation's major holidays in 2025.
Emphasizing that throughout the journey of building and developing education and training, the emulation movement has become the enthusiasm, motivation, and destination of many brilliant results, the Deputy Minister hopes that each administrator, teacher, and staff member throughout the sector will continue to strive with new efforts, new determination, and new solutions, promoting the good values and traditions of the Education sector over the past 79 years to continue developing Vietnamese education to meet the requirements and tasks entrusted by the Party, State, and people.
Deeply implementing President Ho Chi Minh's teaching that "Emulation is patriotism, and patriots must emulate" and "Together we promote patriotic emulation, then any difficulty can be overcome, any task can be accomplished well," the Deputy Minister shared that MOET deeply believes that each educational administrator at all levels, each educator, civil servant, public employee, staff member, and student throughout the sector will together effectively implement this special emulation campaign.
"We believe that aspirations will become enthusiasm, faith, thoughts, and actions, and will certainly become powerful motivation. We have the right to believe that in 2025, the education sector and MOET will achieve brilliant results and accomplishments," the Deputy Minister expressed.
Source: Ministry of Education and Training
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