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President Tô Lâm Meets Hanoi Constituents, Addresses Education Pressure and Food Safety Management
🇻🇳 Vietnam /Elections & Politics

President Tô Lâm Meets Hanoi Constituents, Addresses Education Pressure and Food Safety Management

From Tuổi Trẻ · (8m ago) Vietnamese Mixed tone

Translated from Vietnamese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • General Secretary and President Tô Lâm met with Hanoi constituents after the first session of the 16th National Assembly.
  • Constituents raised concerns about education, particularly the intense competition for 1st and 10th grade admissions in Hanoi, which faces a shortage of nearly 1,000 schools.
  • President Lâm addressed food safety issues, noting fragmented management across ministries and assigning the Ministry of Health primary responsibility, with coordination from customs and police.

General Secretary and President Tô Lâm engaged with Hanoi voters, addressing critical issues that directly impact the daily lives of citizens. The meeting, held following the first session of the 16th National Assembly, provided a platform for constituents to voice their concerns, particularly regarding the escalating pressures within the education system.

A significant point of discussion was the intense competition for enrollment in the 1st and 10th grades in Hanoi. President Lâm acknowledged the capital's deficit of approximately 1,000 schools, a shortage that fuels the highly stressful annual admission races. He critiqued the current administrative approach, which relies heavily on examinations to filter students, arguing that while testing is necessary, its primary purpose should be assessing teaching and learning quality, not barring students from education.

"Why create such an unsettling atmosphere? It's not only burdensome for students but also for parents and difficult for teachers," President Lâm remarked, highlighting the anxiety generated by the current system, which he likened to being more stressful than university entrance exams.

On the critical issue of food safety, President Lâm emphasized its direct link to public health and trust. While acknowledging past efforts and public support for relevant resolutions, he identified a persistent problem: fragmented management involving five to six ministries. This "chopped-up" approach, where each agency handles a specific part of the process, leads to inefficiencies and potential gaps. To rectify this, President Lâm announced a unified approach, designating the Ministry of Health as the lead agency, with clear roles for customs in import/export checks and the Ministry of Public Security in combating smuggling and counterfeit goods. He stressed the need for seamless coordination among these bodies to ensure effective oversight and prevent lapses in food safety, particularly concerning school environments as raised by constituents.

Why create such an unsettling atmosphere? It's not only burdensome for students but also for parents and difficult for teachers.

— Tô LâmGeneral Secretary and President Tô Lâm expressed concern about the pressure caused by the competitive school admission process in Hanoi.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tuổi Trẻ in Vietnamese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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