Attending the conference were Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son, Secretary of Cao Bang Provincial Party Committee Tran Hong Minh, leaders of the Provincial People's Committee, departments, branches of the province, Departments of Education and Training of districts and cities and representatives of teachers and managers of schools in the province.

Many positive results compared to the previous school year

Reporting on the results of the 2023-2024 school year, Deputy Director of the Cao Bang Department of Education and Training Nguyen Ngoc Thu said: In the 2023-2024 school year, Cao Bang province has 519 educational institutions with a total of 5,794 classes and 135,941 children and students at all levels of preschool, primary, secondary, high school, and continuing education. The total number of managers, teachers, and employees in the sector is 10,964 people.

Conference scene

In the 2023-2024 school year, the Cao Bang Provincial Education Department has advised on achieving and exceeding the 2024 target of the Provincial People's Committee on implementing the work of building national standard schools and universalizing education, eliminating literacy; at the same time, proactively advising on and effectively and fundamentally solving the shortage of teachers, especially English and IT teachers.

During the school year, the Education sector has implemented the Project "Improving the quality of mass education, spearheading general education in Cao Bang province in the period of 2024-2030". Effectively implementing the work of selecting textbooks and compiling local educational materials. Organizing the 10th grade entrance exam for the 2024-2025 school year, the 2024 High School Graduation Exam in Cao Bang province safely and in accordance with regulations;

Along with that, it is necessary to promote the effective implementation of investment in facilities and teaching equipment; strengthen State management, inspection, and timely and effective settlement of petitions. There are many innovations and breakthroughs in direction and management, strengthening discipline, improving the quality and efficiency of public services in offices and schools.

Director of Cao Bang Department of Education and Training Nguyen Ngoc Thu spoke at the conference.

In the 2023-2024 school year, the rate of children attending classes in Cao Bang province increased compared to the previous year. Specifically, nursery schools reached 27.65%, an increase of 1.05%; kindergartens reached 99.66%, an increase of 0.06%; 5-year-old kindergartens reached 99.59%.

The high school graduation rate of Cao Bang province in the 2023-2024 school year reached 97.92%, an increase of 1.9%; the average score of high school graduation exams was 6.03 points, an increase of 0.27 points. In the 2023-2024 school year, students of Cao Bang province won 33 prizes in the national exam, an increase of 19 prizes compared to the previous year.

As a mountainous province with many socio-economic difficulties, Cao Bang province's education, despite its efforts and attention, still faces many difficulties and limitations. The province's teaching staff is still lacking compared to the standards and staffing levels, especially teachers of subjects according to the 2018 general education program. Facilities and equipment for teaching and learning still do not meet the needs of use, have not met the standardization requirements, and most of them still lack subject classrooms, libraries, equipment rooms, etc.; currently, the whole province still has 819 separate schools.

With the theme "Discipline, responsibility, innovation, creativity, improving the quality of education and training", in the 2024-2025 school year, the Education sector of Cao Bang province will focus on implementing 11 tasks and solutions.

Cao Bang Provincial Party Secretary Tran Hong Minh speaks at the conference

In particular, continue to advise on the development and improvement of mechanisms and policies, improve the effectiveness and efficiency of State management of education; ensure fairness in access to education for all subjects; improve the quality of preschool education, general education and continuing education; develop a team of teachers and managers to ensure sufficient quantity and improve quality; effectively use the State budget and mobilize investment resources for education.

At the same time, strengthen political and ideological education, national defense and security education, physical education, and school health; promote international integration in education; promote digital transformation and administrative reform in the whole sector; strengthen inspection, examination and handling of violations in the field of education and training; strengthen educational communication work; effectively carry out emulation movements in the whole sector.

Determine the real educational goals; taking improving people's knowledge as the highest goal

Speaking at the conference, Minister Nguyen Kim Son shared his concern for education in localities facing many difficulties, including Cao Bang. The Minister also acknowledged the “good news” of Cao Bang education.

Minister Nguyen Kim Son speaks at the conference

That is, despite the many difficult socio-economic and geographical conditions, Cao Bang education has made great efforts and achieved many results. The rate of mobilizing children to go to school, the rate of universalizing all levels of education... is high and increases every year. The rate of qualified teachers is higher than the average of the Northern mountainous region. Key education shows great efforts...

"In the face of difficulties, Cao Bang education has strived to achieve such results, which is very commendable," said the Minister.

Discussing the preparations needed for the coming time, the Minister first mentioned the need to prepare to build a strategy for education and training development in Cao Bang province for the coming period in accordance with the characteristics, situation, goals, and determination of the locality.

“In the upcoming orientation, it is necessary to determine the most suitable and realistic educational goals for the province. Each province has a different context, so it is necessary to set different educational goals. We cannot do the same as other provinces,” emphasizing this content, the Minister also suggested that “for Cao Bang, the goal of improving people's knowledge is the most realistic and practical goal, and we must be proud of that achievement.”

Minister Nguyen Kim Son, Cao Bang Provincial Party Secretary Tran Hong Minh congratulated 5 "Excellent Teachers" of Cao Bang province.

Sharing the view that “the poorer the province, the more special investment is needed in education. The more educational conditions and human resources must be used to escape from difficulties”, the Minister also mentioned the “advantages” of Cao Bang education that not every locality, even with better socio-economic conditions, has; that is, a favorable environment for personality education for students, a team of teachers with a high rate of qualified teachers, a large number of teachers from ethnic minorities…

With a large area and fragmented terrain like Cao Bang, in addition to suggesting that the province pay attention to mobilizing investment sources to solidify schools and eliminate appropriate satellite schools, the Minister also reminded Cao Bang to increase the application of information technology and digital transformation in education; using online teaching as a solution to the problem of teacher shortage and ensuring that students receive good quality teaching from qualified teachers.

Regarding some specific tasks in the new school year, the Minister suggested that Cao Bang province continue to review the network and allocate the system of educational institutions to find solutions for more than 800 individual leaders, in the spirit of not mechanically consolidating, but in places where consolidation is better for teachers and students, it should be done.

Minister Nguyen Kim Son, Cao Bang Provincial Party Secretary Tran Hong Minh talked with managers and officials of Cao Bang province.

Cao Bang province should also have a plan to consolidate and develop the system of boarding and semi-boarding schools. Because this is the solution for localities with large, scattered areas and a high proportion of ethnic minorities like Cao Bang.

Providing maximum support to teachers so that they can overcome their limitations and not leave them alone in the journey of innovation... is emphasized by the Minister as the most important solution for successful innovation of general education; at the same time, it is also a requirement set by the Minister for Cao Bang education.

“Cao Bang should review and support, exchange experiences, train regularly, and set a goal of maximum support for teachers to keep up with innovation. Everyone is supported, and supported regularly,” the Minister noted.

On the eve of the new school year, the Minister wished Cao Bang education to continue to make more efforts and achieve better results. On the side of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Minister affirmed that there will certainly be attention in policies and priorities for disadvantaged localities like Cao Bang.

On this occasion, Minister Nguyen Kim Son awarded the State title of "Excellent Teacher" to 5 outstanding teachers of Cao Bang province.