Education sector transforms in line with city-status goals

The process of preparing for Dong Nai to become a city has created an urgent need to develop high-quality human resources to serve key industries. Alongside investment from the public budget, Dong Nai’s education sector is also stepping up efforts to attract additional socialized resources to develop educational institutions of international standard.

Beyond maintaining a priority investment budget that consistently exceeds 20% of total annual local expenditure, the province’s education system has made strong breakthroughs evident through the broad coverage of digital technology platforms, innovative learning models, and an international-standard training ecosystem. These comprehensive and synchronized efforts are steadily reinforcing Dong Nai’s intellectual foundation while affirming its position as one of the region’s leading centers for human resource development.

Breakthrough transformation

To realize its strategic goal of becoming a city, Dong Nai has remained steadfast in viewing education as a top national policy priority. This commitment is reflected in its annual allocation of more than 20% of total local budget spending to the sector. At present, the province’s education system includes 1,131 institutions at all levels, serving the learning needs of more than one million general education students, along with tens of thousands of university students and vocational learners, all within an increasingly well-built and upgraded educational environment.

Students at Thong Nhat A High School (Trang Bom commune) participate in a practical lesson in the STEM laboratory sponsored by Vietnam National Industry – Energy Group. Photo: Cong Nghia

The local rate of schools meeting national standards has now reached 70.66%, a figure that clearly reflects ongoing efforts to ensure optimal learning conditions amid rapid population growth driven by migration. At the same time, beyond strengthening a robust public education system, the socialization of education has emerged as a major highlight, effectively attracting non-budgetary investment resources and gradually shaping a diverse educational ecosystem aligned with advanced standards.

The development of 243 high-quality non-public educational institutions, including International Schools of North America (SNA), Asia Bilingual College, and Thai Binh Duong Primary - Middle - High School (Tran Bien ward), among others, has brought modern training programs to the locality. These institutions not only take the initiative in teaching standard English-language programs but also promote the integration of life skills education, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics, thereby directly helping shape a generation of global citizens.

At the higher education and vocational training levels, educational institutions are likewise undergoing profound transformations in both mindset and methodology to anticipate increasingly demanding labor-market requirements linked to the industrial economy of a future central urban hub. According to Do Thi Lan Dai, Chairwoman of the Council of Lac Hong University, Dong Nai’s elevation to city status presents a golden opportunity for universities to redefine their roles, compelling them to pursue fundamental innovation to contribute more practically to the province’s human resource development.

In alignment with that vision, Lilama 2 International Technology College is rapidly expanding access to international training standards across key economic sectors such as aviation and mechanical engineering, while actively researching the launch of additional programs in unmanned aerial vehicle technology for deeper industrial applications.

Proactively driving innovation

Against the backdrop of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Dong Nai’s education sector has identified digital transformation as a strategic breakthrough capable of comprehensively transforming both school governance and teaching methodologies. In 2025, Thong Nhat A High School received an international-standard STEM laboratory, sponsored by the Vietnam National Industry – Energy Group, creating a valuable opportunity for the school to further strengthen its STEM education. Bach Thanh Lua, Principal of Thong Nhat A High School, said, “Educational innovation, especially in teaching methods and the practical application of knowledge to real life, is our new direction.”

Beyond administrative management, classroom teaching methods are also being thoroughly digitized and creatively renewed to encourage and maximize each student’s initiative and capacity for independent thinking. A clear example can be seen at Tam Phuoc Secondary School (Tam Phuoc ward), where the rate of applying information technology and digital learning materials in lessons exceeds 50 percent. This endeavor has made extracurricular classes and life-skills education highly engaging while maintaining strong interaction.

Truong Thi Kim Hue, Member of the Provincial Party Committee

and Director of the Department of Education and Training

Dong Nai education moves toward new quality benchmarks

The province's education and training sector has made steady and comprehensive progress, gradually approaching advanced regional standards while continuing to play a key role in raising public knowledge, training high-quality human resources, and fostering talent. This undertaking is an important launchpad for the province to successfully fulfill its goals of rapid and sustainable development, especially in meeting the demand for a knowledge-based workforce when Dong Nai officially becomes a city.

To ensure this engine of educational reform operates smoothly and delivers substantive outcomes, the province’s core force of more than 49,000 officials and teachers continues to make relentless efforts to improve qualifications, strengthen professional capacity, and proactively master emerging technological platforms. Today’s exemplary teachers, therefore, are no longer merely traditional transmitters of knowledge; rather, they are transforming into dedicated guides who inspire critical thinking and ignite lifelong learning passion among younger generations.

From solid, well-equipped schools to borderless learning environments, the broader picture of Dong Nai’s education system is demonstrating a profound transformation – one rooted in substantive depth rather than chasing superficial achievements. By consistently adhering to the principle of combining learning with practice, while closely linking schools with real-world production, Dong Nai is steadily building a sustainable training ecosystem capable of supplying the high-quality workforce needed to support industrialization and modernization.