A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between Education New Zealand and the Department of Education and Training of Hanoi was signed in the Vietnamese capital city on October 29.

At the signing ceremony  

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung highlighted the city’s recent education reforms. However, he noted that with the current education needs, Hanoi still lacks English teachers and programmes taught in English language.

While highly evaluating the quality of New Zealand’s education programmes, Chung expected that the signing of the MoU marked a new milestone, opening more opportunities for expanding educational cooperation between New Zealand and Hanoi.

Chung hoped more specific and practical cooperation programmes between the two sides will be implemented, thus helping Hanoi learn experience in training human resources for education management.

For his part, Finance Minister of New Zealand Grant Robertson showed his impression for the development of Vietnam in general and of Hanoi in particular, affirming this is a solid premise for strengthening the relations between the two countries in the coming time.

Issues related to curriculum reforms and enhancement of educational management capacity are New Zealand's strengths and interests, he said, expressing his belief that the MoU will help promote not only cooperation programmes but also specific education projects, thus helping Hanoi to modernise its education system, towards laying a foundation for cooperation in other fields between the two nations.

Under the MoU, the two sides agreed to provide further training for talents and train Hanoi’s students through New Zealand’s scholarships for high school students in Hanoi and other scholarship programmes of New Zealand’s schools, as well as contests to encourage skills and knowledge development of students in Hanoi.

Education New Zealand and the municipal Department of Education and Training will cooperate to improve skills and professional competence of Hanoi’s teachers and educational managers; promote cooperation and exchanges between Hanoi’s schools and New Zealand counterparts; and work together to introduce New Zealand’s high schools, universities and industrial-technological institutes as well as scholarship programmes and study opportunities in the Oceania country.