Hanoi (VNA) – As part of the 10th session of the 15th National Assembly, deputies on October 22 morning listened to proposals and verification reports on three draft laws concerning the education sector, which were later discussed in group sessions in the afternoon.
The three bills include the draft Law on amendments and supplements to several articles of the Law on Education; the draft revised Law on Higher Education; and the draft revised Law on Vocational Education.
The draft Law on amendments and supplements to several articles of the Law on Education aims to institutionalise the Party’s policies and guidelines on education development in the new context; address shortcomings and bottlenecks in the current law; and continue improving the legal framework for building an open, practical, and effective Vietnamese education system.
The proposed amendments focus on the decentralisation of authority; the inclusion of vocational secondary schools in the national education system; clearer definitions of diplomas and certificates; and the removal of lower secondary graduation diplomas, replacing them with school-level confirmation of programme completion. The draft bill also clarifies regulations on certificates within the national system and allows for equivalent qualification levels in specialised fields to suit sector-specific management.
Another key amendment, to Article 32, stipulates that the State will provide a single set of textbooks for nationwide use. The Government will also regulate free textbook distribution for pupils and promote suitable social resource-mobilising measures to ensure sustainability and improve education quality.
The draft revised Law on Higher Education reflects the Government’s determination to reform and enhance the quality of tertiary education through breakthrough policies to remove long-standing barriers.
The draft revised Law on Vocational Education consists of nine chapters and 42 articles, an increase of one chapter but a reduction of 37 articles compared to the current law, with numerous new provisions. It expands coverage and system structure, further detailing State management activities and the rights, obligations and responsibilities of organisations and individuals involved in vocational training.
New concepts such as “vocational education database” and “vocational high school” are introduced to specify the scope and target groups. A key highlight is the addition of a vocational high-school level integrating general education and vocational training. Higher-education institutions will also be allowed to provide training in certain specialised fields.
Also on October 22 morning, the NA listened proposals and verification reports on the draft amended Law on Civil Aviation of Vietnam and the draft amended Law on Public Employees before discussing these bills in groups./.
