Nation's hopes rest on students   Lawmakers have passed new amendments that will ensure every citizen's right to education: NA Chairman HA NOI (VNS)- The Viet Nam Students' Association (VSA) should arouse and nurture students' aspirations and dreams, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said yesterday. It should also foster enthusiasm for science, technology, culture and all other areas of study, he told 650 representatives of more than 2 million Vietnamese students at the opening of the association's Ninth National Congress. Hung praised the association's past achievements and urged it to intensify emulation movements, promote students' vanguard role and creativity and provide them with necessary support. He said that the Party and State had consistently placed their faith and hope in students as those who are going to uphold and promote the nation's honour and values in the future. He noted that the recently-concluded sixth session of the 13th National Assembly had adopted important amendments aimed at ensuring the right to education for every Vietnamese citizen. Congress delegates defined the main goals for the association's next term. They agreed that a primary task would be to build a generation of students with lofty ideals,wholesome and healthy lifestyles and excellence in academic pursuits. The students will also be encouraged to engage in scientific research and be innovative in applying new technologies, they said. Students must also be a part of the education reform process and contribute actively to promoting the potentials of each Vietnamese citizen, the delegates said. They agreed that the association should develop itself so that it can adapt to new conditions and environments. The congress adopted numerous documents outlining the association's tasks for the new term and elected a 99-member executive board. Le Quoc Phong, secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, was elected as the association's president for the 2014-2018 term. The VSA is a socio-political organisation with 22 chapters in cities and provinces nationwide. It groups 47 centrally-run school-level chapters, and five abroad - in France, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. On the sidelines of the congress, the student representatives had a chance to converse with Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam and leaders of several ministries and agencies on issues of importance to students nationwide, including employment opportunities and incentives to engage in scientific research. -VNS