Speech of TTU’s Vice President Huynh Ho at Opening Ceremony of New School Year-2015

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Dear distinguished delegates and guests,

Dear faculty members and staff at Tan Tao University and Tan Tao Talented High School,

Dear students’ parents,

Dear Hoa Trang Nguyen awardees and students,

In the letter to the education sector in the new school year, State President Truong Tan Sang warmly praised endeavors and achievements of the education sector during the school year 2013-2014. He also asked the education sector should continue to promote and replicate innovative models, effective practices and advanced role models; paying more attention to the education of morality and ethics for students; sustaining and constantly improving education quality; actively and effectively deploying the Government’s action program on comprehensive and radical innovation of education and training.

On the occasion of this new school year opening ceremony, I would like to convey the best wishes from Mme. Dang Thi Hoang Yen, Founder and President of Tan Tao University, to the distinguished guests, students’ parents, Hoa Trang Nguyen awardees, faculty, staff and students for good health, luck, happiness and success.

Dear distinguished guests,

Main characters at this ceremony are Hoa Trang Nguyen awardees and nearly 700 students studying at the TTU. Especially, we warmly greet new students, many of whom come from the Medical School. It demonstrates that Tan Tao University is strongly growing and is the preferred choice of students’ parents and students over the country. It is a great honor and pride of TTU. Entering new school year 2014-2015, which marks the fourth year of Tan Tao University and there will be first students graduating from TTU and first students graduating from the Tan Tao Talented High School to pursue their university study. With all trust and enthusiasm, faculty, staff and students have steadily grown up and are proud of the values in which they have strived to achieve in the process of realizing the vision and mission of TTU over the past years:

– Vision: Tan Tao University aspires to become a globally distinguished educational institution, providing excellence in education, while participating in the advancement of knowledge through research and serving the people of Vietnam, Southeast Asia, and the world.

– Mission: With an educational philosophy, standards, and practices based on the American liberal arts model of higher education, Tan Tao University encourages freedom of thought and expression and seeks to foster tolerance and respect for diversity and dialogue. It aspires to produce individuals committed to creative and critical thinking, life-long learning, personal integrity and civic responsibility, and leadership.

Dear teachers and students!

At the beginning of the new school year, all members of TTU are excited and eager about this new journey. We are living in knowledge economy and education during the first decades of the 21st century, which demands changes that Jack Delors, a UNESCO education specialist reflected in the four pillars of learning including the principles: Learning to Know, Learning to Do, Learning to Live together and Learning to Be.

Following the teaching of our Great President Ho Chi Minh: “Learning to Do, Learn to become human being,…to serve the country and the mankind.

On the other hand, we are living in a rapidly changing world. Education around the world is moving to adapt to changes in life. In the workshop about technology impact on life and necessity to carry out education resolution to meet technology innovation held by the Cambridge University in October 2013, a realistic forecast which seems far-fetched but has a direct impact on education and existing and future students is that “Until 2020, 40% of the US labor force (around 60 million people) will work as freelancers and a major number of them will work for the Cloud (Ayesha Khanna, CEO Urban Intel). It is not unlikely when Internet and cloud computing is becoming more popular.

In Vietnam, Nguyen Ha Dong designed the video game “Flappy Bird”, which ranked in the top international charts, Vietnamese ROBOCON team won the first prize in the region over the past years…etc. These are good examples of application of science and technology, working for the “cloud” and joining and competing with global workforce have brought pride to Vietnamese students and Vietnamese youth.

With rapid advances in science and technology, manual work has gradually disappeared and has gradually be replaced by machinery and new technologies. Accordingly, more new jobs will appear with the use of advanced science and technology to serve the better life. How is it meaningful to Hoa Trang Nguyen students, current students and educators? What skills need to be equipped for students to join and compete with the global competition? How will we, as educators, help students to get it?

During the four operational years, faculty at TTU has had more than 50 scientific writings published in renowned international and domestic scientific magazines and journals. Many foreign and domestic scientific projects is currently carried out by faculty members. We have never self-satisfied with the available knowledge provided to students and constantly strive to develop a thinking capacity to solve problems in reality through teaching-learning activities and scientific research. Each faculty member have strived to directly participate in the development and implementation of the projects and actively guide students to join to create necessary skills. We are always moving and creative to understand what the life and the world need and require to be better equipped to meet the changes of life in the best way.

Alvin Toefler, a futurist did remind us: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn”. And there are so many things that are waiting for us to discover, and to contribute together to build a better life.

All these wonderful things contributing to the changing of this world stems from the passion and thirst for creativity. But it may not be available to read, copy or be packed be handed to just use it. Let ‘s work with all your heart, enthusiasm and minds. Let’s look at the world and understand what we have to do to get ready before the global competition.

Dear students,

We understand that, in the new school year, you have a lot of works to do: The 1st promotion students will have to focus on the last curriculums – credits to eligible for graduating and to prepare for the professional life or higher study. For the purpose of supporting student to find job, actually the network of Tan Tao Group and approximately 5000 enterprises operating in Tan Tao Group’s Industrial Parks are ready to welcome and hire graduated students of TTU. The others promotion students will have to do their best in studying to achieve highest score credits, to receive scholarships in each semesters; the 10th grade students have to familiarize yourself with the new environment; the 12th grade students have to not only comprehensively train but also identify your key target is achieving the high results in the national high school exams, identifying your future career to select and enter into the right university; the 11th grade students start to identify your talents and your future career goal. However, the school board of managers expect that you firstly identify your social and familial responsibilities and always endeavor to overcome yourself. We wish you a new school year with full of passion, energy and creativity. Know to dream, be thirst for new ideas but the most important thing is learning, studying, hard working to make your dreams, your ideas come true by your all passions and youth power.

Dear professors and staff,

In this new school year, we will focus on renovating examination, admission process according to the TTU’s independent admission plan, and student evaluation towards capability assessment. At the same time, we also focus on our first-time graduate students. Therefore, we expect all teachers will actively contribute new ideas to best promote capabilities and talents of students. Teachers need to pay attention to personality development of students, learning through experiments and activities to best promote students’ creativity.

Dear distinguished guests and student’s parents,

Over the past 4 years, during the foundation and operation of TTU with many challenges, each success of our university is attributed to the strong support of Ministry of Education and Training, the Central Party leaders and Long An Province Authority, other central and local departments, and unions. We would like to express our sincere thanks for such invaluable support, especially to student’s parents who were and will continue to put their trust and hope on us when sending their children to the TTU and Tan Tao Talented High School. We wish during the new school year, parents will continue to promote the ” honor the master, respect their teaching” tradition, will always accompany with us to build a learning and educational environment with respect, support, care, hope and inspiration that will motivate their passion for study and research. It is certain that if students believe, like and feel happy to go to the university like right now, they will show their interest, passion and desire for study and will become happy and helpful people who will contribute their creativity and new life to a prosperous and strong Vietnam Social in the future.

Dear teachers and Students,

Please speak out loud: “TTU belongs to us”. The performance of school years is our results; therefore, all teachers, students and staff will work together for the mission of teaching, learning and research.

Dear distinguished delegates,

I would like to sincerely thank distinguished guests, delegates, leaders of Long An Province, Duc Hoa District, Huu thanh and Duc Hoa Ha Communes for your presence in this ceremony and for your assistance and support to the foundation and development of TTU. We hope to continue receiving your attention and support. We would like to give my best wishes for your health, happiness and successes. Further, on behalf of teachers, staff, students, parents and Hoa Trang Nguyen awardees, to show our gratitude for Mme Dang Thi Hoang Yen, Chairwoman of Tan Tao Group for all her dedication for founding and developing the Tan Tao University in the non-profit private university model and has annually organized the Hoa Trang Nguyen Award for the past 7 years.  

Dear distinguished delegates,

The new school year is beginning with many opportunities and challenges, but ” Let the dreams fly higher and further; the mission of education is the mission of belief. Let’s believe with all our heart and brain, let’s act with all our passion and enthusiasm!”

On this spirit, on behalf of Tan Tao University, Tan Tao University Talented High School, I would like to declare “the start of school year 2014 – 2015!”

Best Regards,

Vice President of Tan Tao University

President of Tan Tao University Talented High School