Hanoi (VNA)𒅌 – Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Tran Sy Thanh has asked the local educational sector to comprehensively improve the scale as well as quality of education so as to gradually turn the capital city into a large and typical centre of high-quality education and training in Vietnam.

He made the request while speaking at the sector’s conference held on August 14 to review the 2023 - 2024 academic year and launch tasks for the next. Thanh affirmed that the city always views the fundamental and comprehensive reform of education - training, improving the quality of human resources, and developing urbane and civilised Hanoians as particularly important tasks that are critical to its sustainable development in the future. Therefore, Hanoi has garnered every resource to develop infrastructure as well as the contingent of teachers and education managers to comprehensively improve education quality, he noted, adding that given its large educational sector, the capacity has been working hard over the past years to increase schools and classrooms to reduce the number of students each class, ensure sufficient classes, and resolve the shortage of teachers. The official demanded the sector closely follow instructions by the Ministry of Education and Training and the municipal administration to properly perform tasks for the 2024 - 2025 academic year, and continue advising the People’s Committee about mechanisms and policies to further improve the quality of local education. Tran The Cuong, Director of the municipal Department of Education and Training, reported that in the 2023 - 2024 academic year, there were 2,913 kindergartens and schools of general education across the city, increasing 39 schools from the previous academic year, with nearly 2.3 million students and nearly 130,000 teachers. Thanks to efforts by teachers, students, and education managers, the sector recorded comprehensive and outstanding results in all education levels. Local students’ performance in this year’s high school graduation examination climbed five places to the 11th from the 16th position in 2023. Up to 99.81% of exam takers passed the test, rising 0.25% from last year. In particular, 99.12% of exam takers from the continuing education system graduated, 2.24% higher than the national average and also the highest result in the last five years, he elaborated. Hanoi also posted the largest number of exam papers given mark 10, at 915. Besides, the city ranked first nationwide with 184 students winning prizes at national contests for excellent students, up 43 from 2023. Many of its students also obtained prizes at international contests, including two securing gold medals at the international biology and chemistry olympiads. Regarding other activities, in the 2023 - 2024 academic year, Hanoi sent the largest-ever delegation of students to the National Phu Dong Sports Game. They brought home 339 medals in total, ranking second in the medal standings, according to Cuong. For the next academic year, the educational sector set up 10 focal tasks, including reviewing and perfecting the development plan for the local network of education - training establishments; improving the quality of teachers and education managers; effectively implementing the pre-school, general education, and continuing education programmes; and attracting and efficiently using investment resources for education. The tasks aim to address shortcomings and problems of previous years, enhance discipline and democracy in schools, build a safe, healthy and friendly educational environment, and better quality at all levels of education - training, the director noted./.