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Gia Lai overhauls education system in 2025, accelerating digital shift and STEM expansion

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Gia Lai province has reported sweeping progress in its education system in 2025, marking one of its most comprehensive reform periods as the province moves to modernize teaching, expand digital tools and strengthen integration with national and international standards.

The sector’s transformation follows the implementation of Politburo Resolution 71-NQ/TW, which mandates breakthrough development in education and training. The provincial education authority said the reforms emphasize modernization, equity, digital transformation and deeper international engagement.

The system now manages 1,395 institutions, from preschools to continuing education centers, after administrative restructuring placed many schools under commune-level management. The sector employs 39,680 staff, including 33,565 teachers, creating significant coordination and operational challenges.

Deputy Prime Minister Hồ Quốc Dũng (third from left) and Gia Lai provincial leaders at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Inter-level Boarding School for Primary and Lower Secondary Education in Ia Nan commune. Photo: T.D

To stabilize the system, the Department of Education and Training reviewed and reorganized the school network, tightened coordination mechanisms and strengthened the use of information technology in administration and data management.

Specialized education recorded notable achievements, including an Asia-Pacific silver medal and a gold medal at the 2025 International Olympiad in Informatics. Students also secured prizes at national science and engineering events and provincial competitions, reinforcing the province’s academic strength.

A key shift has been the rapid expansion of digital transformation and STEM education. Schools are increasingly incorporating practice-based learning, while the upcoming STEM Education Program will be deployed across general education institutions alongside a new assessment toolkit and digital learning repository.

Mainstream education indicators also improved: the high-school graduation rate reached 99.32%; enrollment of five-year-old preschoolers hit 99.8%; 91.15% of primary schools offered two daily sessions; and 99.98% of six-year-olds entered grade 1. Universal primary education remained at level 2 or higher across all localities, with 99.86% of students completing the primary program.

In July 2025, Comrade Châu Ngọc Tuấn, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation, presented the decision to transfer and appoint new leaders of the Gia Lai Department of Education and Training. Photo: Đ.T

Schools have updated lesson content to reflect new administrative boundaries and expanded foreign-language instruction, aiming to gradually position English as a second language.

In 2026, the sector will intensify the implementation of Resolutions 71-NQ/TW and 57-NQ/TW, along with Project 06 on digital transformation. Plans include improving facilities, expanding national-standard schools and ensuring equitable access to quality education. Reforms will continue under the 2018 General Education Program, with an emphasis on competency-based teaching, teacher training and sustainable quality for ethnic minority students.

The Department is also developing localized content frameworks, revising learning materials, strengthening vocational education and streamlining student pathways after lower secondary school. STEM programs will expand beyond pilot schools based on lessons learned during the initial rollout.

The Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee commends Lê Kiến Thành, a student at Lê Quý Đôn High School for the Gifted, for winning a gold medal at the 2025 International Olympiad in Informatics. Photo: T.D

Key initiatives under way include projects to improve ethnic minority boarding schools, child-friendly learning environments, Vietnamese-language reinforcement for young learners in minority areas, and a long-term plan (2026–2035, vision 2045) to make English a second language.

The sector will also advance education socialization, mobilizing state and private investment for facilities and encouraging private preschools and primary schools in urban and industrial zones. Partnerships among schools, families and communities will be enhanced to support ethics and life-skills education.

A clear “shift” in the education sector in recent times has been the vigorous promotion of digital transformation and the implementation of STEM education. Photo: T.D

A major upcoming development is the construction of inter-level boarding schools for primary and lower secondary students in seven border communes.

The project, with total investment of more than VND 1,516 billion (approx. USD 61.5 million), will build 212 classrooms serving around 7,420 students. All schools are scheduled to open in the 2026–2027 academic year and are expected to boost education access and quality in remote and ethnic minority regions.

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