GD&TĐ publishes an article by Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan on suggested development strategies for Dong Thap University.
A morning on the banks of the Tien River.
Rice‑carrying boats pass by, as silently as they have for generations.
Across the river, a university campus is waking up. Students walk into the lecture halls. The school bell rings.
Looking at that scene, one might suddenly think: a university is just like a field — if the right seeds are sown, it can nourish an entire region.
A school born from the land of learning
Dong Thap University has a special history.
From a Pedagogical school, a place training teachers for the Dong Thap Muoi region. Generations of teachers have traveled across the Southwest region, bringing knowledge to village schools.
From the small classrooms of the past, the school has grown, becoming a multi-disciplinary university.
But looking deeper, we will see a "red thread" running throughout the school's history: Educating human resource for this land.
A university is not just a place that grants degrees.
It is a place to nurture the future of the locality.
Resolution 71 - a milestone opening a new mindset
Resolution 71 on breakthrough development in Education and Training sets forth a very clear message:
Education is not just vocational training.
Education is the driving force for National development.
In that new mindset, a university is not just a place for teaching.
The university needs to become a center of knowledge, innovation, and creativity, and a center of community connection.
Looking at it that way, Dong Thap University has a massive opportunity because it is located in a land rich in potential but also full of challenges.
The 2025 Higher Education Law - new space for autonomy
The 2025 Higher Education Law opens up many new spaces for institutions: Academic autonomy, financial autonomy, and organizational autonomy.
But autonomy is not just a right. Autonomy is also a responsibility.
The responsibility of a university is to answer a very big question:
Who does the institution exist to serve? If the answer is to serve the community and the development of the region, then all development strategies will become clearer.
A vision: The University of the Dong Thap Muoi region
Perhaps Dong Thap University does not need to try to become a replica of major universities in metropolitan areas.
Instead, it can become a specialized university for the region.
A university linked to ecological agriculture, water resources, climate change, community education, and the rural economy.
Dong Thap Muoi used to be a wasteland. Today, it is becoming a dynamic agricultural region.
A university here can become the intellectual brain of the entire region.
Strategic directions
A strong university does not only have scientific articles.
It must also address the problems faced by local communities
For example: Water management for the Dong Thap Muoi region, agriculture adapting to climate change, the rural economy, and eco-tourism development.
If every research topic is linked to a practical issue of the region, the university will become a companion to the locality.
Dong Thap University has a long-standing tradition of training teachers.
That is a very big advantage.
In the future, the institution could become the region's center for educational innovation: Training a new generation of teachers, developing STEM education, promoting reading culture, and building a learning society.
A land of learning does not only have a university. It has a learning ecosystem.
The world is entering the AI era.
If a university only teaches old knowledge, students will fall behind very quickly.
AI is not a separate field of study.
AI will enter every field.
Agriculture has AI.
Aquaculture has AI.
Education has AI.
The institution can build new programs such as: Smart agriculture, Environmental data, Digital education, and Technology for rural areas.
A university does not just train job seekers. It needs to train job creators.
If students can start businesses from agriculture, develop local products, and build creative enterprises, the university will become an energy source for the local economy.
A university in Dong Thap can still connect with the world.
Thanks to technology, geographical distance is no longer a major barrier.
The institution can: Collaborate with international universities, invite global experts to teach, and participate in international research networks.
A university in the alluvial land can still open its doors to the world.
Imagine a day when students of Dong Thap University research water management systems for Dong Thap Muoi.
Another group of students develops AI software to help farmers forecast pests and diseases. Another group starts a business with native agricultural products.
Those ideas may start from very ordinary classrooms. But if nurtured correctly, they can transform an entire region.
It is often said that to know the future of a region, look at its schools.
Dong Thap University does not just train students.
The institution is training the future of the Dong Thap Muoi region. If the right seeds of knowledge are sown today, tomorrow's fields will be greener.
And perhaps one day, standing on the banks of the Tien River looking toward that institution, people will say: Here lies not just a university. Here lies a vein of knowledge nurturing an entire region.
Source: Giao duc & Thoi dai Newspaperhttps://giaoducthoidai.vn/pho-chu-tich-quoc-hoi-goi-y-chien-luoc-phat-trien-truong-dai-hoc-dong-thap-post769605.html
Translation: Hong Nhan