The Ministry of Education (MOE) recently issued guidance on the implementation of the new phase of the Excellent Primary and Secondary School Teacher and Principal Training Program (2024–2027). Initiated in 2022, the program aims at continuously expanding the pool of excellent teachers and principals who have developed effective pedagogical paradigms based on a distinctive educational philosophy and can play an exemplary and leadership role in the reform of basic education.

The Training Program targets teachers and principals in charge of teacher management at kindergartens, regular primary and secondary schools, and special education schools, as well as researchers at research institutes specializing in teacher development and the advancement of teaching practices. According to the guidance, about 300 teachers and principals will be selected this year to receive collective training for three years. More training bases will be established in a range of high-level comprehensive universities so that the total number of such bases will reach 32.

More work groups of excellent teachers and principals will be set up to explore mechanisms of capacity building for teachers and principals at the regional level. The work groups will also be tasked with providing targeted support to underprivileged counties in a variety of ways such as by training volunteer teachers to be sent to these counties, organizing online consultations, and conducting cooperation on pedagogical research projects with schools in the counties.

Digital tools will be integrated into the whole training process to boost the digital skills of excellent teachers and principals. In addition, online work groups will be established on the national smart education platform to demonstrate lesson planning strategies and pedagogical research methods and promote sharing of quality educational resources.