Vietnamese MoET and Microsoft’s cooperation agreement inked

The signing ceremony held in Hanoi was witnessed by Dr. Nguyen Vinh Hien, the MoET’s Vice Minister, Vu Minh Tri, general manager of Microsoft Vietnam, Mark East, senior director of Business Development for Education and Stefan Sjoestroem, PS lead of Microsoft on the occasion of his visit to Vietnam.

The agreement deployment will be of great beneficial for staffs in education and training sector, lecturers, students and pupils to enhance their ICT usage from elementary to advance in their management as well as teaching and learning skills. Apart from that, the agreement will also be seen as the premise for a wide range of activities under ‘Partners in Learning’ programme in Vietnam within the period of present till 2016.

As much as it may recall, the first agreement had been signed in June 2005 on the former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai’s visit to the US. On this basis, Microsoft has firmly and effectively coordinated with Vietnam’s MoET in providing ICT tools for Vietnam teachers and students with the aim of raising teaching and learning capacity in schools throughout Vietnam.

Since then, the agreement has been re-signed and certain achievements have been gained as a result. So far 65,000 teachers and 2.1 million pupils in 5,150 schools have been reported with typical success from the programme. The project itself also created solid linkage with many departments of Education and Training from Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang, Hau Giang, Tien Giang, Haiphong, Hue, Hai Duong, Bac Giang and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

“We treasured Microsoft’s efforts in supporting education activities in Vietnam,” said MoET’s Vice Minister Hien at the signing ceremony.

As agreed, the two sides will boost their cooperation in fundamental and expanded elements relating to this Microsoft global initiative. These elements might be selected and applied in each province’s developing programmes depending on actual needs. Some of these elements can be named as ICT & Communication application in enhancing pedagogic capability for teachers, ICT & Communication application in school’s organisation and management, ICT equipment for national education programme.

Vu Minh Tri, Microsoft Vietnam’s general manager said: “Supporting Vietnam human potentiality and human resource is among one of Microsoft strong commitments. It is our great honor to witness many Microsoft programmes particularly the projects in the education sector have been bringing lots of benefits for teachers and students all over the world as well as in Vietnam.”

As part of the agreement, Microsoft will equip ICT tools for Vietnam’s education sector via the programmes of funding free Microsoft Office 365 software licences for schools to help expanding their teaching and learning activities, digital approach via Shape the Future programme and the comprehensive training programme to support IT education and provide recognised certificates for students, pedagogues and Microsoft IT Academy (ITA) staffs.

The signing of this agreement will hence allow Microsoft and the MoET to employ latest ICT initiatives in education reform as well as funding ICT equipment for the national education to keep going on the journey of turning ICT into the concrete power transforming Vietnam education system comprehensively.