Many universities and colleges around the country, especially
public institutions, have introduced counselling to enable students to choose
appropriate courses.

At HCM City University of Technology, Viet Nam Television in co-ordination with the Ministry of Education held a programme to supply parents and students with information about enrolment regulations and training programmes. (Photo: VNS)

The Viet
Nam National University’s International College has held 14 counselling sessions
in HCM City and other provinces since the middle of last month.

Assoc
Prof Dr Ho Thanh Phong, its rector, said the university hoped to help students
understand its training programmes clearly.

It has
also set up 12 hotlines for providing counselling and carried up-to-date
enrolment information on its website, he said.

Career
counsellors at 80 high schools in several provinces from central Quang Nam to
the south have been visiting the University of Technical Education to gather
information for their students. The University has been partly funding their
trips.

Assoc
Prof Dr Do Van Dung, the University’s deputy rector, said it had found that
high-school students in other provinces and their parents did not have much
information about his university.

Like
companies, universities too had to try hard to find and enrol good students, he
added. Nong Lam University in HCM City’s Thu Duc District has dispatched
personnel to provinces to meet students at 20 high schools, answered their
questions on enrolment, and provided advice. The Ha Noi-based University of Fire
Fighting and Prevention took part in enrolment programmes held by Tuoi Tre
(Youth) newspaper in HCM City, Can Tho, Da Nang, and Ha Noi to provide
information to prospective students.

Tran Van
Dong, deputy head of recruitment at the university, admitted the number of
students and parents who knew about his university was very low.

The
programme hoped to increase that number, he added.

Self promotion

Some
universities and colleges went to high schools in provinces merely to advertise
themselves and not to provide counselling.

Le Thi
My Ha of Thong Nhat High School in southern Dong Nai Province said
representatives from many HCM City universities and colleges, especially private
ones, had visited her school.

“I do
not know which university to choose after reading their brochures,” she said.

Huynh
Van Hoa, a teacher of Tu Nghia High School in central Quang Ngai Province, said
his students had complained that some private universities and colleges from HCM
City did not provide trustworthy information and that their quality was low.

Basic
and objective information on enrolment and career orientation was essential for
students in rural areas, he said.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News