UNESCO has named Cao Lanh city in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap among the Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC), alongside 76 other cities from 43 countries worldwide.
Students in Dong Thap province participate in the Young Informatics Contest in 2022 (Photo: VNA)
To adapt to new challenges and foster a culture of reading, Cao Lanh has introduced several innovative pieces of software and organised a series of conferences on education and reading in order to boost the cause.
The locality has actively promoted the role of student and youth associations at all levels in a bid to unite and create a generation of Vietnamese youth who are passionate about learning, business, and science and technology through contributing to the overall development of education.
Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO, emphasised that with more than half of humanity residing in urban areas, cities are able to promote lifelong learning policies by supporting the various initiatives of localities to make significant changes.
She noted that the learning cities honoured this year have been highlighted due to their commitments to making the right to education a reality for people of all ages.
The UNESCO Learning City Award has therefore been established to recognise and showcase the good practices taking place in promoting quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all people at a local level.
This triennial award is presented to cities in each of the five UNESCO regions that have demonstrated significant progress in learning city development by implementing the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities guiding documents.
Only member cities of the UNESCO GNLC are eligible to apply for the UNESCO Learning City Award, which is then valid for one award cycle.
Vietnam has so far had five localities honoured with the UNESCO Award, namely Hai Duong and Ho Chi Minh City in 2015, Sa Dec and Vinh in 2020, and Cao Lanh in 2022.
