Attending the working session were Permanent Vice President of Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) DO Thi Thu Thao; Vice Presidents of VWU: TRAN Lan Phuong, NGUYEN Thi Minh Huong, NGUYEN Thi Thu Hien, representatives of the leaders of units from Central VWU, along with Board of Management and key officials of Vietnam Women’s Academy (VWA).

Speaking the orientation of the working session, Party Central Committee member and President of VWU NGUYEN Thi Tuyen emphasized that the content of the working session focused on solutions to streamline the apparatus, increase efficiency and effectiveness of operations. At the same time, the Presidium of Central VWU also grasped the operating situation of the apparatus, the performance of the VWA’s Board of Trustees, VWA’s recommendations on facilities, the merger of a number of units under VWA and the directions in the coming time.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. TRAN Quang Tien – Party Secretary, President of Vietnam Women’s Academy reported on the organization and results of the Academy’s activities in the past time.

VWA was established in 2012, inheriting the 50-year tradition of the Central Women Cadre Training School. With the mission of training female cadres in the political system and promoting gender equality, the Academy aims to become a leading applied educational institution by 2030. With the continuous efforts of the collective of civil servants and employees, the outstanding results that VWA has achieved in the period 2012-2024 in the following aspects:

  • Cadre training: VWA has trained 47,793 female cadres, conducted political training and women support programs in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Training programs increasingly apply modern technology with more than 30,000 women participating in online courses.
  • University training: VWA has implemented 11 undergraduate majors, 4 master’s programs and 2 doctoral programs. The current training scale is over 6,400 students, with a post-graduation employment rate of over 80%; Quality assessment meets national standards, bringing the Academy to the rank of 58/200 Vietnamese universities in 2023.
  • Research: The Academy is a prestigious research center with an average of 20 grassroots-level projects and 5 ministerial-level projects each year. VWA’s Journal of Science have been recognized by interdisciplinary professor councils.
  • Community service: More than 1,500 students and 150 lecturers participate in community service every year, with many practical programs such as “Shelter of Love” and “Accompanying Frontier Women”.
  • Facilities & Finance: VWA has completed the first phase of digital transformation, financial autonomy and doubled the average income of its employees compared to 5 years ago.
  • Organization & Personnel: As of October 2024, the total number of employees and workers reached approximately 250 people, working in 19 units and departments. Of which, the total number of permanent lecturers reached more than 180 people, with 8 Associate Professors and more than 60 PhDs; ensuring that the proportion of lecturers and researchers reached about 70% of the total number of staff…

In addition, VWA also reflected on some difficulties and obstacles in the operation process. From there, it proposed some proposals to the Standing Committee of the Presidium of Central VWU to make VWA’s operations more effective.

VWA’s Board of Management reporting at the meeting

After listening to the report of VWA’s Board of Management, key officials in charge of a number of areas of VWA, and representatives of the leaders of units under Central VWU, Vice President TRAN Lan Phuong spoke about the proposals and solutions to enhance the future development of the Academy.

Vice President Tran Lan Phuong speaking at the meeting

Leaders of the units under Central Vietnam Women’s Union sharing at the working session

Concluding the meeting, Party Central Committee member and President of VWU NGUYEN Thi Tuyen affirmed that VWA is the pride of the Union with a tradition of more than 50 years of establishment and development. The President emphasized that the Academy has achieved many remarkable achievements, especially in the field of training and fostering female cadres and political cadres at all levels. The training scale is constantly expanding, with more than 6,400 students by the end of 2024, along with significant improvements in the entrance scores of university majors. The Academy also plays an important role in scientific research on gender and gender equality. However, the President also pointed out the challenges that VWA is facing, including high student dropout rates, limited international publication capacity and English teaching of the teaching staff. At the same time, financial revenue mainly relies on tuition fees with low collection rates, while facilities still do not fully meet requirements, especially for practical services. This is not only a difficulty for VWA but also a common challenge for universities in Vietnam today.

President of Vietnam Women’s Union NGUYEN Thi Tuyen delivering a concluding speech at the meeting.

President of VWU NGUYEN Thi Tuyen emphasized that to affirm its position in education, VWA needs to focus on improving the quality of training, promoting research in areas of strength and focusing on building and promoting its brand. Aiming to be among the top 50 universities in Vietnam by 2030, the Academy needs to develop a specific strategy, prepare resources and improve internal capacity. At the same time, the President suggested a number of solutions on developing facilities, organizing the apparatus, and training orientation, especially in merging Le Thi Rieng Intermediate School.

VWA would like to express our sincere thanks for the deep concern and valuable guidance of the President of VWU and the Standing Committee of the Presidium, along with the support and close coordination from the Central Committees of the Union. This is a great source of motivation for the collective of officials and employees of the Academy to continue to promote the spirit of solidarity, unanimity, strive to overcome all difficulties, constantly innovate and improve quality, successfully complete all assigned tasks, towards the goal of sustainable development and affirming its position in the national education system.