Representatives from seven ASEAN teachers’ associations and 13 international organizations took part in the 25th ASEAN Council of Teachers (ACT) Convention in Hanoi on Dec 11. The two-day forum focused on national education reports of ASEAN member countries, the Dai Doan Ket newspaper reported Monday. The participants also discussed issues relating to general education and tertiary teaching and learning quality as well as measures to improve the quality of teachers, staff and educational administrators. Addressing the conference, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan affirmed that Vietnam and other ASEAN members always consider education as the top national policy and stress the important role of teachers in each country’s development.
Under the theme “ASEAN Council of Teachers’ Response to the Global Economic Crisis for the Sustainable Development of Education”, the event drew special interests of not only the government of Vietnam but also that of other ASEAN member countries. There are 2.4 million students studying at schools and universities in Vietnam and there are nearly 1.5 million teachers who work at training establishments from nursery schools to universities. Vietnam budgets VND648 billion ($39.5 million) for the education and training sector this year, up 12.7% from 2008.
