London (VNA) – Vietnam shared experience in ensuring education services for children during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, as well asnational climate education policies at the 2022 Education World Forum (EWF)that took place in London from May 23-26.

At a discussion on the renovation of education at low costin Asia, Deputy Ambassador of Vietnam to the UK To Minh Thu highlighted measuresthat Vietnam has applied to make sure all children access education services,especially during months of social distancing that forced children at alleducation levels to stay at home since the fourth wave of COVID-19 hit Vietnam inApril 2021.

She said that the Vietnamese Government rolled out variousmeasures with the priority of vaccination for youngsters to enable schools toreopen from March 2022.

So far, more than 98 percent of the students aging from 12-17years old in Vietnam have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot and morethan 96 percent have got two, she said.

Thu underlined that amid the pandemic, Vietnam considered educationdigitalisation as a very important task, with the application of informationand communication technology (ICT), the digitalisation of curriculum, and theimprovement of ICT capacity for teachers and students.

Vietnam has set a target of all education facilities applyingschool governing system basing on digital data and technologies in 2025, digitaleducation becoming a key pillar in the tertiary education system in 2030, and100 percent of the tertiary education facilities providing online trainingprogrammes, she said.

Thu stressed that Vietnam commits and ensure sponsorship toeducation sector, providing finance and loans to education facilities andstudents, and setting aside at least 20 percent of its State budget spendingsto education sector.

The country has worked to upgrade the infrastructure foronline education through the “Internet and computers for students” programme,which has provided more than 1 million computers to students. Under the programme,telecommunication service suppliers will give 3G SIM cards and data to studentsto ensure their computers are Internet connected serving online learning.

Thu affirmed that Vietnam has enjoyed great progress in givingschools autonomy and self-responsibility, and improving the quality andevaluation standards of educational institutions. In the post-pandemic period,Vietnam is determined to restore teaching and learning activities and promoteeducational achievements with strategic plans and commitments to supportingdisadvantaged children, ensuring high quality and equity in education, sheadded.

At the discussion on climate education policies, FirstSecretary for Education at the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK Tran Huong Ly saidthat education on environment at Vietnamese schools play an important role inenhancing public awareness of climate change and promoting the coordination inclimate change response efforts of local communities and internationalorganisations.

Ly affirmed that environment education is one of the sustainable development goalsof Vietnam, pointing out that in Vietnam, environment policies are developed inVietnam from the national level to schools, including the development ofknowledge and skills frameworks to respond to climate change and disasters inschools at all school level.

Environment education in Vietnam has been integrated intogeneral education programme in subjects such as physics, geography and biology withappropriate knowledge, skills and response to natural disasters, and theprotection of natural resources and animals as well as efficient use of energy,she said, adding that environmental education documents and manuals foreducational management officials and teachers have also been built.

Ly said that environment education in Vietnam is also carried out throughcampaigns and extracurricular activities, adding that higher education facilitieshave also involved in the training of environmental engineers and lecturers andthe implementation of research projects.

She underlined that Vietnam will continue to promoteinternational cooperation in education, especially among domestic educationalfacilities and their foreign peers in education research and digitalisation toenhance the quality of teaching and learning activities as well as theeducational environment in Vietnam.

Themed “Education: building forward together; stronger, bolder, better” drew educationchiefs from more 100 countries in the world and representatives frominternational and non-governmental organisations. This year, it focused on howto optimise technologies, artificial intelligence and experience to strengtheneducation systems and economies around the world. The forum also focused on howcountries can develop education systems with limited resources./.