Room to Read Helps Spread Reading Culture to Over 3.2 Million Students

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The conference was attended by leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training; representatives of departments, bureaus, and units under the Ministry; the Viet Nam Institute of Educational Sciences; the People’s Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM); and delegates from Departments of Education and Training and primary schools participating in the project across 30 provinces and cities nationwide.

The conference aimed to assess the implementation of the 2021-2025 Strategic Cooperation Agreement between the Ministry of Education and Training and Room to Read, recognize outstanding achievements after five years of implementation, and discuss orientations for developing general education libraries to meet the requirements of innovation under the 2018 General Education Curriculum, with a competency- and quality-based approach for the 2026-2030 period.

The Conference to Review the Library Quality Improvement Program for developing reading habits and a reading culture for the 2021-2025 period. (Photo: RtR)

Within the program framework, Room to Read presented Certificates of Recognition to the Friendly Library Program Coordination Boards in 30 provinces and cities that have accompanied the project over the past five years, acknowledging the efforts of management authorities, schools, and teachers in building a positive and sustainable reading environment for primary school students.

The 2021-2025 cooperation period marked many important advances in developing reading habits and a reading culture in primary schools. The program expanded 2,143 friendly libraries in 14 new provinces and cities, benefiting about 1.4 million students and bringing the total number of beneficiaries to more than 3.28 million. In addition, more than 3,000 core teachers, lecturers, managers, and library staff received training and technical support.

Room to Read presented Certificates of Recognition to the Friendly Library Program Coordination Boards in 30 provinces and cities that have accompanied the project over the past five years. (Photo: RtR)

The issuance by the Ministry of Education and Training of Circular 16/2022/TT-BGDĐT dated November 22, 2022, on standards for libraries in preschool and general education institutions created an important legal foundation for improving library quality and operations. Many innovative library reading lesson models were also implemented to meet the goals of developing reading comprehension, language, and student qualities under the 2018 General Education Curriculum. At the same time, the program promoted digital transformation and equitable and inclusive education through electronic resources, digital libraries, pilot applications of artificial intelligence to support teachers, and the development of learning materials for ethnic minority students and students with disabilities.

At the conference, delegates visited and experienced thematic spaces and listened to presentations by representatives of Departments of Education and Training focusing on the application of technology in libraries, language development through reading activities, and the promotion of equitable and inclusive education. Practical sharing from localities showed that school libraries are gradually becoming open learning spaces, effectively supporting the renewal of teaching and learning at the primary level.

Speaking at the conference, David O’Connor, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Room to Read Global in charge of Southeast Asia and India, affirmed that Viet Nam is a model for sustainable scaling with an education solution system closely aligned with government priorities and orientations. He emphasized that Viet Nam has set new standards in digital transformation and equitable and inclusive education, pioneering support for language development for ethnic minority students, producing braille picture books, and building friendly library environments for all students. Viet Nam’s early adoption of the Cloud Library, e-book catalogs, and bold piloting of AI solutions to support teachers are also helping shape the roadmap for applying technology in Room to Read’s language development programs globally.

The review conference not only acknowledged the positive results of the 2021-2025 period but also laid the foundation for a new phase of transformation. With the strong commitment of the Ministry of Education and Training, the companionship of localities, and technical support from Room to Read, efforts to develop reading culture and language competencies for primary school students will continue to be promoted. This will contribute to completing the policy framework for library work, expanding access to friendly library programs for all students, especially vulnerable groups, and strengthening support to enhance Vietnamese language proficiency for ethnic minority students in the context of digital transformation and educational integration.

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