DECISION

APPROVING THE OVERALL PLAN ON DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY HUMAN RESOURCES UP TO 2015 AND ORIENTATIONS TOWARD 2020

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government:
Pursuant to the June 29, 2006 Law on Information Technology;
Pursuant to the Prime Minister's Decision No. 246/2005/QD-TTg of October 6, 2005, approving the strategy on development of Vietnam's information technology and communication up to 2010 and orientations toward 2020;
At the proposal of the Minister of Education and Training,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the overall plan on development of information technology human resources up to 2015, and orientations toward 2020, with the following principal contents:

I. DEVELOPMENT VIEWPOINTS

1. Development of information technology (IT) human resources constitutes a key factor of decisive significance for IT development and application. IT human resources must be developed in a synchronous manner, ensuring quality and attaching importance to quickly increasing the proportion of high-qualification human resources.

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3. Socialization and international cooperation will be stepped up to bring into play all domestic resources and attract foreign investment for the development of IT human resources.

4. The training scale, structure and programs will be clearly identified while the compilation and supply of textbooks and training materials at all education and training levels and enrolment work will respond to the demands of the society and domestic and overseas markets. Labor productivity as well as performance quality and efficiency of IT-trained persons working at agencies, organizations and enterprises will be used as the basis for evaluation of the results and quality of IT human resource training.

II. DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES UP TO 2015

1. General objectives

a/ To strongly develop IT human resources (in this Decision. IT human resources are construed to include those who are engaged in IT. electronics and telecommunications training activities; specialized IT. electronics and telecommunications employees in enterprises and industries; IT application staffs in agencies, organizations and enterprises; and cadres, employees and citizens who use and apply IT) in order to ensure sufficient IT human resources for the development and application of IT. electronics and telecommunications in the service of the building of a knowledge-based economy and an information society, the national industrialization and modernization and international economic integration;

b/ To accelerate IT application in education and training, modernize and improve the effectiveness and competitiveness of the IT human resource training system up to international level so that Vietnam can participate in the international IT human resource training market and. step by step, become a supplier of high-quality IT human resources for countries in the region and the world.

2. Specific objectives

a/ To create a breakthrough in the quality of IT human resource training. To raise the level and quality of IT. electronics and telecommunications training in universities up to the advanced level of ASEAN countries. About 30% of IT. electronics and telecommunications graduates will possess adequate professional qualifications and foreign language command to be able to participate in the international labor market;

b/ To ensure that 100% of students of professional secondary and vocational training schools will be trained in IT knowledge and application skills. By 2010. 100% of university, college and upper secondary students, 50% of lower secondary students and 20% of primary pupils and by 2015. 100% of lower secondary students and 80% of primary pupils will be taught informatics;

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d/ To step up the building of IT, electronics and telecommunications lecturers and teachers in universities, colleges, professional secondary schools and vocational training institutions both qualitatively and quantitatively. To strive to reach an average rate of 15-20 students/lecturer for IT training in universities and colleges; 70% of IT lecturers in universities and over 50% of IT lecturers in colleges will possess a master or higher degree; to quickly increase the number of lecturers with a doctoral degree; by the end of 2015, 100% of university and college lecturers, secondary and professional secondary teachers and students will have personal computers;

dd/ To ensure adequate human resources for the development of IT and communication enterprises. From now to 2015, to supply 250.000 specialized IT, electronics and telecommuni­cations workers who have a professional secondary, vocational elementary (one-year training) or higher degree, of whom 50% possess a college or university degree and 5% possess a master or higher degree;

e/ To accelerate the universalization of IT application knowledge and skills. To ensure that a majority of cadres, civil servants and employees will be trained in IT applications relevant to their jobs;

g/ To train IT officers with college or higher degree so as to meet the need of state agencies, socio-political organizations, research institutions, universities and colleges and train IT officers with professional secondary or higher degree for primary and secondary education institutions. To provide IT training to leaders and managers in ministries, branches, provinces and centrally run cities to meet the qualification requirements specified in the Government's Decree No. 64/2007/ND-CP of April 10, 2007.

III. DEVELOPMENT ORIENTATIONS TOWARD 2020

1. To develop in a rational structure IT human resources who are professionally qualified to master modern technologies and techniques so as to promptly and regularly meet the requirements for the building and development of an information society and a knowledge-based economy. To ensure sufficient IT human resources to fully meet the need of the domestic market and partly the need of overseas markets. To incrementally raise the awareness and universalize knowledge about, and skills of, using IT applications and services in the society. By 2020. 70% of laborers in enterprises will be trained in IT.

2. To develop IT, electronics and telecommuni­cations lecturers and teachers in universities, colleges, professional secondary schools and vocational training institutions both qualitatively and quantitatively. By 2020, over 90% of university IT lecturers and 70% of college IT lecturers will possess a master or high degree and over 30% of university IT lecturers will possess a doctoral degree.

3. To promote the training, retraining and development of informatics teachers for general education schools. By 2020, all pupils in these schools and other educational institutions will be taught IT applications.

IV. SOLUTIONS

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a/ To properly renew IT training in universities and colleges under the Government's Resolution No. 14/2005/NQ-CP of November 2, 2005, on substantial and comprehensive renewal of Vietnam's university education during 2006-2010;

b/ To formulate and regularly update IT training programs, ensuring transferability among training levels, increasing the practicability of training programs, raising the proportion of practice lessons in IT disciplines and eliminating outdated programs and disciplines which fail to satisfy or are no longer suitable to practical requirements. To use emails as a forum to receive feedbacks on training programs and contents from former students and units employing IT workers. To encourage students to attend IT training courses and sit in exams for IT professional certificates issued by international organizations and transnational groups specialized in IT and telecommunications:

c/ Universities and colleges will select, adopt and implement the world's advanced IT training programs in a practical manner;

d/ To profoundly renew programs, contents and methods of training IT teachers at teacher-training schools; to increase the teaching of IT applications in teaching and learning activities and the application of advanced education technologies;

dd/ To formulate IT teaching programs based on knowledge modules which will be updated with new technologies and implemented to meet learners' needs. To implement these programs at all education levels and in continuing education.

2. Scaling up and diversifying form of IT training

a/ To facilitate the establishment of IT training institutions in order to meet the needs for training IT human resources at all levels;

b/ To scale up and diversify forms of IT training in IT training institutions;

c/ To scale up and raise the quality of IT training in continuing education institutions. To adopt appropriate mechanisms and policies to accelerate the transferability in IT training among various levels;

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dd/ To continue organizing university-level IT training courses for those who already possess another university degree;

e/ To increase teaching and improve computer and IT application skills for students of all majors;

g/ To enhance online distance training in all types of training. To provide for conditions on online training, recognize the legal validity of diplomas and certificates of online training and conduct accreditation of the quality of online training at all education levels.

3. Increasing the socialization of informatics universalization

a/ To encourage domestic and foreign organizations and individuals to participate in the training and retraining of IT human resources in different forms. To attract and create favorable conditions for foreign universities and scientists to cooperate and participate in IT training in Vietnam;

b/ Agencies and enterprises will work out plans on regular IT training and retraining and universalization for their cadres, civil servants, employees and laborers; implement programs on training leaders and managers in IT applications and programs on training and retraining IT officers in the formulation, implementation, management and supervision of IT application projects.

c/ To work out solutions to attract all social resources for IT human resource training. To bring into full play the role of political, social and professional organizations in the organization, mobilization and supervision of all activities related to IT human resource training.

4. Increasing investment in the development of IT human resources

a/ The State will prioritize budget investments for the training of IT, electronics and telecommunications human resources through programs and projects under this overall plan as well as other training plans and schemes;

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c/ To create conditions for domestic and foreign investors to establish IT human resource training institutions in accordance with law and invest in IT human resource training through providing IT services. To allow IT training institutions to enjoy incentives for IT training activities like software development enterprises;

d/ To increase investment in material foundations, equipment, programs, textbooks, materials, school materials and networks to serve IT, electronics and telecommunications training and IT application in all education institutions. To prioritize investment in material foundations of some key IT, electronics and telecommunications training institutions to reach the advanced level in the region and the world;

dd/ To adopt policies to mobilize rational contributions from learners to cover training expenses;

e/ To prioritize investment for education institutions in remote and deep-lying areas, islands and areas with extreme difficulties;

g/ To encourage program manufacturers and developers to provide computers and Internet connection services at preferential prices for teachers, students and pupils. To strive for the target that by the end of 2015,100% of university and college lecturers and 90% of upper secondary and professional secondary teachers and students will have personal computers. To study and adopt policies on supports for teachers and students to get loans to buy computers;

h/ To use ODA capital for investment in IT human resource training, development of an education network and some high-quality IT training institutions.

5. Promoting English language teaching and IT teaching in English and other foreign languages

a/ Through the implementation of the program on teaching foreign languages during 2009-2020, to encourage universities to teach IT. electronics and telecommunications disciplines in English; to invite foreign lecturers and overseas Vietnamese specialists to give IT lessons directly or online; to select and use IT documents and textbooks in English; to adopt policies and incentives to encourage students who write and defend their graduate papers and essays in English or other foreign languages; to compile and publish bilingual training programs;

b/ To attach importance to the training and raising of English language skills for IT, electronics and telecommunications lecturers and teachers so that they are able to give lessons in English. To raise the quality of English language teaching for foreign language lecturers and teachers in IT human resource training institutions;

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6. Using open-source software in training activities

Educational institutions will exploit and use open-source software in training activities; elaborate training programs and contents and compile teaching materials and scientific research schemes on the basis of open standards; carry out research schemes, graduate papers and essays on the basis of exploiting open-source software; and use open-source software in their office work and training activities. From September 2011. all educational institutions will use mostly open-source software in training, teaching and application activities.

7. Developing an education network (Edu.Net)

a/ To provide broadband Internet connection and exclusively leased channels via optical cables to all education administration units and education institutions;

b/ To build a data center for the education network;

c/ To set up an Internet education portal with digital contents and educational resources. To set up. select and purchase digital libraries containing books, textbooks, materials and lectures to serve teaching, studying and scientific research activities;

d/ To apply e-Iearning technologies. To elaborate training contents and programs and prepare lessons and organize training courses after the model of e-learning. To study and apply u-learning and u-learning;

dd/ To increase annual online training and retraining in IT applications for teachers, education administrators, students and pupils in order to save time and costs and achieve high training effectiveness.

8. Accelerating informatics teaching and IT application in general education schools

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b/ To update teaching programs and contents based on modern and practical knowledge modules instead of using a single informatics program with rigid textbooks;

c/ To accelerate IT application in general education schools in order to renew teaching and learning methods in the direction that IT contents, instead of being taught in informatics lessons, will be included in each study subject by teachers themselves. Teachers of different study subjects will take the initiative in compiling and selecting documents and software (open-source) for applying IT to their teaching activities;

d/ To further train and retrain informatics teachers so as to improve their qualifications to meet the requirements for IT teaching and IT application in teaching activities, first of all, at the upper secondary level;

dd/ To elaborate and promulgate standards on IT application knowledge and skills applicable to teachers and administrators in education institutions.

9. Other solutions

a/ To build a database on domestic scientific and technological workers and overseas Vietnamese specialists who are specialized in IT in order to attract high-qualification IT scientists at home and abroad to participate in IT training and scientific research activities at tertiary training institutions in Vietnam;

b/ To organize forums for exchanging ideas on the training of IT, electronics and telecom­munications human resources so as to meet the needs for introduction, provision of suggestions transaction and association between, universities and IT, electronics and telecommunications enterprises and other economic entities;

c/ To adopt incentive policies to commend and reward and promote ranks for lecturers and teachers who are good at IT application and teachers who are good at preparing e-learning lessons and reach IT standards.

10. Estimated funds:

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The capital structure and specific fund estimates will be identified by ministries, branches and localities in the process of formulating specific projects and schemes to perform their tasks assigned in the overall plan.

V. ORGANIZATION OF IMPLEMENTATION

1. The Ministry of Education and Training shall:

a/ Specify this overall plan into programs, plans and investment projects and direct and organize their implementation at various levels according to set objectives and solutions. Guide educational institutions to formulate and submit their implementation plans for approval and implementation;

b/ Direct and organize the renewal of IT training and IT application training programs in various sectors;

c/ Standardize IT training levels; formulate and promulgate a system of standard knowledge and skills applicable to various IT training levels, provide for conditions on IT training and grant of IT certificates and develop a system of IT tests;

d/ Elaborate and promulgate or submit to competent authorities for promulgation mechanisms and policies to promote IT human resource training;

dd/ Formulate an overall plan on IT application in the education sector and a plan on building of an education network;

e/ Formulate specific plans on. and direct the performance of tasks of. training IT lecturers and teachers. Carry out the universalization of IT application knowledge and skills for teachers, lecturers and education administrators. To train and retrain IT officers in the education sector;

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h/ The Human Resource Training Support and Supply Center under the Ministry of Education and Training will act as the focal point in accepting and providing supports for training activities under contracts signed with enterprises and organizations, especially for foreign-invested projects, and contracts on supply of high-qualified IT human resources;

i/ Annually, coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs in organizing national conferences on IT human resource training in order to review the results of implementation of this plan, praise training institutions which achieve high training quality and supply a large number of IT workers for the society and enterprises with outstanding achievements in IT human resource training and the signing of training contracts.

2. The Ministry of Labor. War Invalids and Social Affairs shall:

Provide vocational training in IT, electronics and telecommunications with an objective of training about 100,000 persons with vocational college, vocational secondary or vocational elementary degrees in IT. electronics and telecommunications. To apply IT in vocational teaching and learning activities.

Vigorously step up the provision of IT vocational training under contracts signed between training institutions and enterprises and agencies having the demand for IT human resources.

3. The Ministry of Home Affairs shall:

a/ Assume the prime responsibility for. and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Ministry of Education and Training in. formulating and promulgating the title and tasks of and criteria for chief information technology executive in state agencies;

b/ Coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training in formulating programs on universalization of computer and Internet knowledge and skills for cadres, civil servants and employees in state management agencies and socio-political organizations;

c/ Formulate and promulgate before 2010: incentives regarding rank and grade promotion for chief information technology executives in state agencies and incentives regarding working conditions and retraining to raise qualifications for IT officers.

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5. The Ministry of Finance shall assume the prime responsibility for. and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Education and Training in, balancing and apportioning sources within annual state budget plans for implementation of this plan.

Article 2. Responsibilities of ministries, branches and localities

1. The Ministry of Education and Training shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communication, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance in, formulating and implementing five-year and annual plans on IT human resource training in universities, colleges and professional secondary schools and plans on informatics teaching in general education schools and in organizing annual preliminary reviews and a final review of the implementation of this overall plan in its last year.

2. Ministries assigned to perform tasks specified in Part V, Article 1, of this Decision, shall formulate investment plans, implementation plans and organize some activities right in 2009.

3. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People's Committees shall base themselves on this overall plan and the approved long-term and annul plans on IT application in state agencies' activities to formulate and implement plans on IT training and retraining for their cadres, civil servants and employees. Provincial-level People's Committees shall formulate and implement plans on universalization of IT knowledge among local organizations and people.

4. Socio-political organizations, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Vietnam Women's Union and socio-professional organizations shall coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Information and Communication and provincial-level People's Committees in promoting the universalization of IT knowledge in society.

5. Enterprises shall take the initiative in providing IT training and retraining for their laborers and participate in training activities to meet the society's demands.

6. Education and training institutions shall base themselves on this overall plan to formulate long-term and annual plans and take the initiative in taking measures for training their human resources and raising their training quality to meet the society's demands.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

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Article 4. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, presidents of provincial-level People Committees, and concerned agencies shall implement this Decision.-

FOR THE PRIME MINISTER
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER




Nguyen Thien Nhan