Integrating Human Rights into National Education: A Strategic Step in Building the Rule-of-Law State

From a Major Policy to Systematic Educational Action

The Prime Minister’s approval of the Project “Integrating Human Rights Content into Educational Programs within the National Education System for the 2017–2025 Period” constitutes an important political and legal milestone aimed at concretizing the 2013 Constitution regarding the recognition, respect, protection, and assurance of human rights.

According to the seminar materials, the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics was assigned the role of the lead agency, coordinating with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of National Defence, and relevant agencies to implement the Project nationwide. This is not merely a professional task in the field of education, but also an activity of strategic significance in building the Socialist Rule-of-Law State of Viet Nam.

A noteworthy point is that the Project does not approach human rights as a purely theoretical subject, but rather places it within the requirements of civic education, enhancement of legal awareness, cultivation of social responsibility, and formation of a proper understanding of the rights and obligations of each individual in national life.

After 8 years of implementation, the Project has created a clear transformation in social awareness of human rights; contributed to strengthening public trust, enhancing social consensus, and providing important arguments for dialogue, diplomacy, and the struggle against false and distorted views on human rights.

Synchronous Results and Broad Impact from Research to Training

From 2018 to 2025, the tasks under the Project were implemented in a relatively comprehensive manner, ranging from scientific research, seminars, training sessions, and development of materials to specialized education and training.

In terms of scientific research, the Academy completed surveys on the current state of human rights education in 22 provinces and centrally governed cities and 4 ministries; and accepted 4 key ministerial-level scientific research projects concerning the content and methods of human rights education at different educational levels, vocational education, higher education, and online education.

Regarding seminars and conferences, the Project organized a total of 29 seminars and conferences, including important forums on the content and methods of human rights education at preschool, general education, vocational education, higher education, and postgraduate training levels. In 2024, high-level conferences chaired by Government leaders and Academy leaders assessed the implementation of the Project and prepared for the 2025 review.

In addition, 16 training courses were organized for various target groups, including educational administrators, lecturers, textbook authors, curriculum appraisal officials, law lecturers, journalists, and editors. This method of implementation demonstrates that the Project does not stop within the scope of schools, but expands to policy communication, personnel training, and enhancement of social capacity in approaching human rights.

Notably, the revision of the master’s curriculum, the development of the doctoral training project in Human Rights Law, and the pilot implementation of specialized training programs have laid the foundation for a contingent of legal experts in the field of human rights. This is an in-depth achievement, ensuring the sustainability of the Project beyond the 2017–2025 period.

Strengthening Rule-of-Law Awareness and Proactively Protecting the Ideological Foundation

The outstanding value of the Project lies in making human rights education an organic component of legal dissemination and education activities. When human rights are taught, researched, and communicated systematically, social awareness of rights, obligations, and civic responsibilities is also significantly enhanced.

In the context where issues of democracy and human rights are often exploited to distort the situation in Viet Nam, the Project also carries important significance in strengthening scientific, legal, and practical arguments to defend the consistent viewpoints and policies of our Party and State: respecting, protecting, and ensuring human rights in association with national independence, national sovereignty, political stability, and sustainable development.

The Project has also identified several shortcomings that need to be further addressed, such as policy communication activities not yet receiving commensurate attention; dissemination and education concerning areas of public concern not being conducted regularly; and the assessment of legal compliance awareness and law implementation still lacking specific criteria.

From this practical basis, the period after 2025 should continue to place human rights education within the overall framework of reforming legal dissemination and education activities; promote policy communication; strengthen the training of lecturers, rapporteurs, journalists, and editors; and simultaneously strongly apply digital transformation so that human rights content can reach learners and the public more extensively and effectively.

It can be affirmed that the Project “Integrating Human Rights Content into Educational Programs within the National Education System” is not merely an educational program, but a strategic step toward building rule-of-law citizens, a rule-of-law society, and the Socialist Rule-of-Law State of Viet Nam in the new stage of development.