HCMCity (VNA) – President Vo Van Thuong on November 13 visited andoffered congratulations to lecturers of the University of Social Sciences andHumanities (HCMUSSH) under the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM)on the Vietnamese Teachers’ Day (November 20).

Establishedin 1957, the HCMUSSH provides training in 34 undergraduate disciplines,34 graduate programmes, and 18 others at the PhD level with nearly17,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Thi Phuong Lan, Rector of the HCMUSSH, said theuniversity is the biggest research and training institution inthe social sciences and humanities in the southern region. With 901 staff members,including 519 lecturers, it gathers leading scientists in the field. In thesouth, it has also taken the lead in opening new training and scientificresearch programmes to meet demand.

The HCMUSSH has attracted students from 85 countries and territoriesto its long-term training and research courses, along with thousands of othersto short-term programmes. It has also formed partnerships with over 250 universitiesand research institutes around the world, she noted.

Onbehalf of Party and State leaders and also being a former student of theschool, President Thuong offered the best wishes to HCMUSSH teachers and recognised the recent achievements of the university.

Hestressed that as Vietnam is exerting efforts to become a developed andhigh-income country by 2045, that aspiration can come true only when qualityscientific foundation and education system are in place, and social sciences andhumanities have a crucial role to play.

The State leader affirmed that intellectuals and high-quality human resourcesform the core of the national industrialisation and modernisation movement. The role of higher education is to transmit and create new knowledge that serves social progress, prosperity and happiness. Italso acts to equip people that are the human resources of society with sufficient capabilities to take action and make changesin a complicated, and unpredictable world.

Talking about the school’s targets and orientations, he emphasised the need to persistentlyreform the prevalent mindset to improve training and researchquality. It should also help address the shortage of leading intellectuals, experts, andscientists in key areas of the social sciences and humanities.

PresidentThuong also requested attention be paid to reforming university management and governancetowards autonomy, professionalism and modernity, training and attractingexcellent lecturers, and developing the capabilities of students.

On this occasion, he presented 100 million VND (over 4,100 USD) to the HCMUSSH’slearning and talent promotion programme, and 20 scholarships to outstandingstudents.

He also visited Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Tinh, who is a senior lecturer, formerVice Rector of the HCMUSSH, and former Director of the VNUHCM’s centre for politicaltheory./.