Conference underlines importance of education to socio-economic development

Students of a HCM City university exhibit their products at the Career Consulting Day held in the city by Hoa Sen University earlier this month (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) - Education and training are vital to the socio-economic development of countries, including Vietnam, Vice Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council Nguyen Quang Thuan told a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on November 15.

Therefore, "reforming education and training will create a breakthrough in human resources development, and developing education-training will create the foundation for developing the Vietnamese people in the context of modernization, industrialization and global integration," he said.

The conference, focusing on the impacts of education development policy on economic growth and sustainable development through experience sharing among Vietnam, ASEAN and African-Middle East countries, attracted the participation of nearly 100 delegates from domestic and foreign research institutes, Ambassadors of African, Middle East and ASEAN nations to Vietnam, and representatives from the International Organisation of Francophonie’s (OIF) Asia Pacific and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).

Moroccan Ambassador to Vietnam Jamale Chouaibi said to develop education in the current situation, international cooperation is very important, especially support for countries with advanced education. He added that more than 51,000 Moroccan students are studying in such countries, like Canada, France, Germany, the US and Spain.

The ambassador expressed the hope to cooperate with Vietnam in this field, as the two countries share many similarities.

Dr Anita Clapano-Oblina, senior education specialist at the SEAMEO Regional Training Centre, said that "the English language is the vehicle of globalisation".

With its rapid economic growth, Vietnam is integrating into the international economy, and increasingly becoming a major destination for foreign investors, leading to a critical demand for English as a tool to communicate and deepen its integration, according to the specialist.

So it is an urgent need to teach its people English communication skills so that they are engaged in the arena of globalisation as individuals and as a nation, she said./.