Hanoi (VNA) - Minister of Education Nguyen Kim Son on July 1 presented the insignia "For the Cause of Education" to Rana Flowers, a Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Vietnam for her efforts in improving quality education for children in Vietnam.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Son said that during Flowers' tenure as UNICEF Vietnam Representative, she witnessed the most difficult period of the education system worldwide, including Vietnam. Vietnam received a lot of effective support from UNICEF Vietnam, under her leadership, to ensure uninterrupted education for children, he added.
The organisation also assisted Vietnam in building school safety standards, monitoring and supporting several educational establishments, mobilising resources, organising online teaching training for teachers, diversifying digital learning resources and digital platforms, and other initiatives that have contributed positively to the educational sector.
The UNICEF official also assisted the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) in regional and international educational cooperation. The activities included supporting the ministry in its role as chair of ASEAN Education for 2022-2023, co-chairing the national consultation meeting for the Transforming Education Summit (TES), and helping the ministry develop a national commitment to education transformation at this summit.
Flowers's efforts are also reflected in promoting quality, transferable skills, and equity in education for disadvantaged children. These include children with disabilities and ethnic minority children improving mental health, and gender integration for students and teachers. Her efforts also minimised the impact of climate change on children and promoted digital education and educational finance.
Son wished Flowers success in the new tenure, continuing to care for and support education and children in Vietnam and around the world.
For her part, Flowers thanked the Vietnamese ministry for the support and companionship with her and UNICEF during the past time. She expressed her honour to receive the insignia and highlighted the increasingly close coordination between the organisation and the ministry.
Recalling her time working in Vietnam and the achievements in bringing equal access to education to Vietnamese children, Flowers expressed her belief that there will be more and more collaborative activities between UNICEF and the MoET, thereby helping more children.
"Education is always in our hearts and every step we take," said Flowers. She will apply the experiences and outcomes of cooperation in Vietnam to the country of her next assignment, with the hope of seeing educational and children-related accomplishments.
![Rana Flowers.webp](https://imagev3-lang.vietnamplus.vn/w1000/Uploaded/2024/kg1/2024_08_07/rana-flowers-7491.jpg.webp "Rana Flowers expresses her emotions when receiving the insignia "For the Cause of Education”. (Photo: VietnamPlus)")
Rana Flowers has been the UNICEF Representative in Vietnam since 2018. Before this appointment, she served as UNICEF Representative in China, Cambodia, Mongolia and Belize, bringing more than 25 years of experience in international development.
Since 2013, the MoET and UNICEF have implemented many cooperative projects to enhance the quality of education and ensure the rights of children throughout Vietnam. In the future, both sides will continue to cooperate to implement the five-year cooperation programme for the 2022-2026 period. It focuses on inclusive and equitable education, transferable, digital, and green skills, safe learning environments, mental health for teachers and learners, and education for climate change adaptation./.
