Decision No. 26/2003/QD-TTg on approving the National Target Program for Education and Training until 2005

Pursuant to …;

Regarding the approval of the National Target Program on Education and Training until 2005

National Target Program on Education and Training until 2005

____________________

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to Decision No. 71/2001/QĐ-TTg dated May 4, 2001 of the Government Chairman regarding National Target Programs for the period 2001-2005;
Pursuant to Decision No. 06/2003/QĐ-TTg dated January 9, 2003 of the Government Chairman concerning the Government's action program to implement the conclusions of the Sixth Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Ninth Term, on education and training;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Education and Training and the Minister of Planning and Investment.

Pursuant to …;

Article 1. Approve the National Target Program on Education and Training until 2005 with the following main contents:

1. Objectives of the program:

Implementing some key projects aimed at:

- Creating fundamental changes in educational quality, bringing the country's education out of its lagging behind other developed countries in the region, approaching advanced world standards, suitable to Vietnam's reality, serving the practical development of the national economy and society, as well as each region and locality.

- Reforming the goals, content, methods, and programs of education at all levels and degrees of training; developing a teaching staff that meets the requirements of both increasing scale and improving educational quality and effectiveness.

- Improving the quality of human resource training, particularly focusing on high-level scientific and technological personnel, capable managers, skilled businesspeople, and technically proficient workers directly contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of the national economy; accelerating the implementation of universal secondary education.

2. Contents of the program:

The program includes seven projects:

Project 1: Consolidating and promoting the results of universal primary education and literacy, implementing universal lower secondary education. This project focuses on the following aspects:

a) Completing literacy and universal primary education for 235 communes and 18 districts that have not yet met the standard;

b) Completing universal primary education at the correct age in 40 provinces and centrally-administered cities;

c) Achieving the standard for universal lower secondary education in 30 provinces and centrally-administered cities.

Project 2: Reforming curricula and textbook content. This project focuses on the following aspects:

a) Reforming curricula and textbook content for preschool and general education;

b) Compiling textbooks for teaching Vietnamese and ethnic languages to children. Continuing to implement the project on teaching Vietnamese and ethnic languages;

c) Reforming the goals, curricula, and training programs for higher education and improving college admissions to meet the requirements of developing human resources for industrialization and modernization of the country.

Project 3: Training information technology personnel and introducing IT into schools, intensifying foreign language teaching in the national education system. This project focuses on the following aspects:

a) Training information technology personnel; intensifying IT teaching and applying information technology in universities, colleges, vocational schools, and technical schools;

b) Implementing IT teaching and gradually applying information technology in teaching and learning in general education schools;

c) Intensifying foreign language teaching in general education schools, vocational training institutions, and universities and colleges.

Project 4: Training and upgrading teachers, strengthening material infrastructure of teacher training institutions. This project has the following main contents:

a) Reforming the teacher training system and building a teaching staff sufficient in number, with moral integrity and professional competence to meet the requirements of educational reform in terms of goals, content, and methods at all levels of education;

b) Strengthening material infrastructure and learning equipment for teacher training institutions to improve teacher training quality.

Project 5: Supporting education in mountainous areas, ethnic minority regions, and areas with many difficulties. The main contents of this project are:

a) Consolidating and completing material infrastructure for the system of boarding schools for ethnic minorities and preparatory schools for universities;

b) Building and consolidating a system of commune-based boarding schools, village-based schools, and combined classes in hamlets, villages, and communities to firmly implement universal primary education and literacy;

c) Strengthening vocational guidance and training, especially for students in boarding schools for ethnic minorities to create cadres for mountainous regions and ethnic minority areas;

d) Supporting basic school supplies for poor students, students from difficult circumstances, and students in mountainous regions, ethnic minority areas, and areas with special economic and social difficulties.

Project 6: Strengthening material infrastructure of schools, technical and vocational training centers; constructing some key universities and vocational schools. This project, together with the School Reinforcement Program and related projects, aims to gradually improve the technical infrastructure of the school system; constructing some model schools with standardized facilities and some strong institutions for training human resources in the national education system to effectively attract and utilize investment resources for school construction and technical infrastructure.

Project 7: Enhancing vocational training capacity. This project focuses on increasing investment in material infrastructure and equipment; reforming training programs; training and upgrading the teaching staff at selected vocational schools and training centers to gradually form key vocational schools and centers with training quality equivalent to those in the region.

3. Sources of funding for the projects:

a) State budget;

b) Voluntary support from domestic and international organizations according to the provisions of the law;

c) Other legitimate sources of funding.

4. Project management:

a) The Ministry of Education and Training manages, directs, and comprehensively oversees the implementation of the National Target Program on Education and Training; takes the lead and coordinates with relevant ministries, sectors, and localities to implement Projects Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6;

b) The Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs leads and coordinates with relevant ministries, sectors, and localities to implement Project No. 7.

Article 2. On the basis of the contents of the projects stipulated in Clause 2, Article 1 of this Decision and related programs and projects of the relevant sectors, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs shall cooperate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, and other relevant ministries and sectors to develop implementation plans, annual plans, organize and guide inspections and supervision of implementation; annually report to the Prime Minister on the progress and results of implementation.

Article 3. THIS DECISION SHALL TAKE EFFECT 15 DAYS AFTER ITS PUBLICATION IN THE OFFICIAL GAZETTE.

Article 4. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-affiliated agencies, chairpersons of provincial and centrally-administered city People's Committees are responsible for implementing this Decision /.