Vietnam, Australia Ink MoU on Boosting Education Cooperation
Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son and his Australian counterpart Brendan O'Connor signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on March 7 on enhancing bilateral cooperation in education, local media reported.
The event took place under the witness of the two countries’ prime ministers in Australia.
Under the deal, the collaboration encompasses various fields, including early childhood, primary, secondary, and tertiary education, as well as special education; teacher workforce development; information technology in education; education management and leadership; digital education; support for cross-national educational cooperation; accreditation of diplomas; ensuring education quality; policies, systems, and research standards in higher education institutions.
Both parties agreed to engage in cooperation through policy exchanges, expertise sharing, teacher and student exchanges, document, and information exchanges, organizing workshops, conferences, and establishing links between educational institutions.
Following the signing ceremony, the education sectors of both countries will draft specific cooperation programs.
The Joint Statement on elevating Vietnam-Australia relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership also underscored the commitment of both countries to supporting the human resource development of Vietnam. Australia will support the establishment of branch campuses of universities in Vietnam and encourage business involvement in building educational systems and vocational training.
Australia is among the leading providers of government scholarships to Vietnam, offering approximately 70 scholarships annually. Moreover, Australia sponsors over AUD50 million ($32.5 million) for the Aus4Skills program aimed at the development of Vietnam-Australia human resources during the 2021-2025 period.
Currently, there are nearly 30,000 Vietnamese students studying in Australia, ranking sixth among the international student community.