Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The most important thing ineducation is to build a happy studying environment where technology supports studentsand lifelong learning spirit is nurtured, stated Vietnamese Minister of Educationand Training Phung Xuan Nha on July 23.

At the 50th Conference of theSoutheast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) in Kuala Lumpur,the minister also briefed participants on major achievement of Vietnam’seducation over the years, including the universalisation of high-schooleducation in 2010 and pre-school education for five-year-old children in 2017.

The quality of Vietnam’s high-school education has beenrecognised by the international community, while Vietnam has been on the worldtop 10 countries with highest scores at international science competitions, hehighlighted.

The minister stressed that Vietnam has strengthened theapplication of IT in teaching and studying process as well as schoolmanagement, thanks to which education quality has been improved and equalityguaranteed for students, especially among underprivileged groups.

However, he also pointed to a number of shortcomings in thesector, including difficulties in improving education quality in remote andmountainous areas and for ethnic minority students; violation in schools;problems in teaching life skills and easing pressure from exams, and raisingteachers’ quality.

The minister held that technology will be useful in tacklingthese problems, and stressed the importance of building happy educationenvironment.

He expressed his hope that participants at the conferencewill share their experience and initiatives to help ASEAN countries expandcooperation towards a region of prosperity and development.

On the sidelines of the event, Minister Nha had bilateralmeetings with his Malaysian and Thai counterparts to share experience and ideasfor better integration of Vietnamese education into the region and the world,and discussed strategies to build practical education environment with lesspressure on students.

The Vietnamese delegation also visited a number of educationfacilities of Malaysia.

TheSEAMEO, headquartered in Bangkok and established in November 1965, is anorganisation that promotes cooperation in education, science and culture inSoutheast Asia.

Sinceits inception, education ministers meet annually to discuss the achievement of26 SEAMEO regional centres around the region covering financial reporting andcurrent activity implementation as well as confirming future activity planning.

Since2013, the SEAMEO conference has been held on a biennial basis by each membercountry rotationally.

Membercountries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.-VNA