Our Perspective

As one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature with the 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature from Ireland, William Butler Yeats said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” His quote encapsulates true learning as an awakening of the mind and spirit. In other words, cognitive development process should embolden individuals to ignite their passion and curiosity, expanding their horizons, rather than to learn the information passively.

By virtue of Confucian heritage, in Vietnam, educational achievement is highly valued at every level within the society. As a matter of fact, young Vietnamese generations are expected to pursue a degree as a key to success in their future career. The actual knowledge attainment is somehow ignored. The joy of learning is not emphasized. ​

Nevertheless, together with the recent economic growth and foreign investment, education sector gradually transforms to meet high demand of the learners as well as the domestic and worldwide labor market. Additionally, more transnational education is brought into the country to offer different training programs, which has considerably advanced the local teaching and learning approach. Learners now have plentiful opportunities to enjoy the actual meaning of education and to be more involved in different schooling activities, either in the mainstream courses or extra-curricula.

In order to prepare students with the essential knowledge and competencies required in the context of globalization, besides the implementation of the updated general education curriculum, in the Conclusion No.91-KL/TW of the 11th Party Congress, to bring Vietnamese education and training to the advanced level of the Asian region by 2030 and to the advanced level of the world by 2045 is one of the requests from the Politburo. In Article 8 of the Conclusion, it is requested to “promote international integration in education and training to meet the requirements of improving the quality of human resources to serve the country's development in the new period.” Consequently, students' proficiency enhancement in foreign languages is prioritized with the goal of progressively establishing English as the second language in schools.

Notably, since Vietnam is a growing destination for foreign investment in Southeast Asia, the high-quality education demand has climbed to new peaks. Capturing the vital role of true learning among young generations in the 4th Industrial Revolution along with the strong development of digital technology and artificial intelligence, SunEd seeks to facilitate the growth of individuals into their optimal selves, leading to personal and professional fulfillment through liberal arts education, in either blended learning or virtual learning.