I do not advocate for learning quickly or slowly. I advocate for personalized, competency-based learning supported by AI, and I propose that the Government create the legal framework for this to happen. The pace of learning should depend entirely on the student’s ability.
I. The unstoppable force of creative destruction
The Politburo’s Resolution 57-NQ/TW (December 22, 2024) clearly identifies innovation, technology, and digital transformation as strategic breakthroughs for national development. To achieve these breakthroughs, education is the foundation, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the key tool for realization.
Creative destruction is the inevitable process by which old, inferior models are replaced by superior ones. If the Industrial Revolution transformed material production, AI is doing the same for education: fundamentally changing how people learn, teach, and operate the entire ecosystem—erasing privileged access to knowledge, hyper-personalizing learning, and accelerating academic pace to an unprecedented degree.
The traditional roles of teachers—as mere “knowledge transmitters” or “inspirers”—are being challenged by AI models that can tutor, provide feedback, and adapt content in real-time. We are entering a phase of “creative destruction” in education, with AI at its core. The question is no longer, “Should we use AI?” but, “Are we acting fast enough, and how must we adapt?”
II. AI erases the knowledge monopoly
Historically, specialized knowledge required attending prestigious schools or knowing a master teacher. Knowledge was a privilege reserved for elites: professors, lawyers, doctors, and engineers. This is no longer the case.
With AI, knowledge ceases to be a special privilege. A 14-year-old student can now study biomedical engineering at a doctoral level or explore behavioral economics from leading professors—all with a single click. There is no need for prolonged apprenticeship. AI can teach you anything—in a way you understand, at the speed you choose, and at near-zero cost.
This is truly “destructive” to the old educational model. When knowledge is no longer proprietary, the traditional role of the teacher must change entirely (methods, assessment, personal role). And frankly, I cannot yet fully envision the final role of the teacher, save for one certainty: education is no longer a restricted commodity.
Even the teacher’s ability to inspire—once thought irreplaceable—is challenged. AI does not get bored, scold, judge, or tire of your 100th question. Crucially, AI is available 24/7. In the near future, AI will motivate and inspire based on a student’s emotional feedback better than many human teachers.
III. Personalization: The long-awaited dream
For generations, educators and policymakers shared a common dream: that each student could learn in their own way, at their own pace, tailored to their abilities and genuine interests. This is the opposite of the current system, which crams all students into the same curriculum, time frame, and test format, as if they were born to solve the same problem.
Achieving personalized learning previously required an impossible condition: a dedicated, one-on-one master teacher for every student, a customized curriculum for every individual, and a real-time feedback system. All of this was prohibitively expensive and impossible to scale.
Then came AI.
AI can not only teach but also adjust content, teaching style, voice, speed, and even the examples used to best fit the individual student. AI remembers what you learned yesterday, where you struggled last week, and what topic you are currently excited about. It does not need lunch breaks, and most importantly, AI requires no salary, only energy.
The question is no longer, “Should we personalize learning?” but, “Do we dare use AI to do it?” If we act decisively, costs will drop dramatically, and efficacy will increase exponentially. Only AI can transform the principle of educational equity from a slogan into a reality.
IV. The shift to competency-based education
When knowledge is no longer expensive, and individuals can learn at their own pace and preference, online and blended learning become irreversible trends. If you can learn anytime, anywhere, from any knowledge source, why must you be locked into a crowded classroom for 45 minutes?
AI has removed the largest barriers to online learning: the lack of guidance, motivation, and timely feedback. Students can now learn, practice, ask questions, be corrected, and receive immediate feedback via adaptive systems and 24/7 chatbots.
With AI and competency-based learning, a dedicated student could complete their entire high school curriculum in 5–7 years instead of the fixed 12. They could finish college by age 16 and potentially hold a couple of advanced degrees before they turn 20. The fixed 12 years of K12 and 4 years of university are entirely obsolete. Kairan Quazi, the American boy who graduated college at 14 after self-studying on online platforms like Khan Academy, exemplifies this potential.
V. Policy and action: The urgent mandate
While Vietnam hesitates, other nations and the private sector are already accelerating. China, for instance, will mandate that all students from elementary to high school receive a minimum of eight hours of AI training per year starting in the 2025–2026 school year.
At the front lines, the Vietnamese private sector is no longer waiting. Starting in 2025–2026, our entire EQuest system will implement AI/STEM Labs and teach AI from Grade 1 through university. AI is a mandatory core competency; employees who fail to utilize AI will be deemed unfit for promotion or employment. This is not severity—it is the natural demand of the AI era.
The greatest challenge now is not a lack of technology, but a lack of political will and urgent policy vision. To effectively execute, I propose three immediate solutions to the Government:
- Form a task force: Establish an elite task force of seasoned practitioners to propose concrete solutions for AI integration in education within months, not years. AI can drastically reduce costs and solve the current resource problems (teacher shortages, budget issues).
- National AI strategy: Immediately issue a clear, urgent national strategy defining “understanding and utilizing AI” as the core competency of the 21st-century citizen. The national education system must be structurally redesigned from this premise—not adapting an old framework.
- Create a legal corridor for speed: Establish the legal framework to recognize full-time online and blended learning at both K12 and university levels, and allow for shortened, competency-based study paths. Current laws limiting online university learning to 30% and failing to recognize full online K12 education are obsolete shackles that prioritize “interaction” and “quality control” over the student’s learning optimization.
The education system cannot remain a horse-drawn carriage in the age of electric cars. When the world is already acting, prolonged debate and hesitation will leave our nation behind when the AI tsunami hits.
If we are slow even by a beat, the future of our entire nation will be left behind the world. At that point, the dinosaurs will indeed become extinct.
Nguyen Quoc Toan
(With thanks to journalist Le Thuy and the Vietnam Government Portal for editorial support)
