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9 October 2007

Singapore and Vietnam to Collaborate in Training Educational Leaders in Vietnam

1.         The National Institute of Education (NIE) and Vietnam’s National Institute of Education Management (NIEM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Hanoi today to set up a centre to enhance and develop excellence in school leadership and educational administration in Vietnam.  Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Training Professor Dr Nguyen Thien Nhan and Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore’s Minister for Education and Second Minister for Finance, witnessed the signing of the MOU.

2.         The signing of the MOU was part of Mr Shanmugaratnam’s visit to Vietnam on 8-9 October 2007. In a meeting earlier in the day, the two Ministers agreed that NIE and NIEM would collaborate in the setting up of a Vietnam-Singapore Centre for Educational Excellence (VSCEE) under NIEM in Vietnam, aimed at bringing best practices into training of leaders in education. The new Centre will focus on leadership training for school principals and professional development for educational administrators, as well as English language training.

3.         Singapore’s NIE will begin a customised programme to train selected school principals from Vietnam starting from November 2007. Future programmes will be delivered in both Hanoi and Singapore.  It is envisaged that the VSCEE will also serve as a centre of excellence for leaders in education in the region.

4.         Mr Shanmugaratnam was accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Education and NIE.