VietNamNet Bridge – Unlike previous years, when only a few university lecturers were chosen for overseas training courses, the door is now wide open for many lecturers and staffs to go studying abroad.

Dr Truong Thanh Long (right) from the HCM City Agriculture and Forestry University

Big universities all have tens or a few hundred young lecturers (under 35 years old) learning at famous universities all over the world.

Not enough lecturers to send abroad

This is the thing happening at the HCM City University of Natural Sciences under the HCM City National University, according to Associate Prof Dr Tran Linh Thuoc, Deputy Headmaster of the university.

Every year, the university gets tens to several hundred scholarships for post-graduate studies abroad.

Thuoc said that his university now has over 200 young staffs in many countries in the world for training courses to get master’s and doctorate degrees. The post-graduates all are under 30 years old. Meanwhile, prior to 2001, the university only had 23 lecturers to send abroad for training, and they were sent when they were over 35 years old.

The HCM City Agriculture and Forestry University now has 111 young lecturers studying in 16 countries and territories, and 47 other lecturers following domestic training courses.

“We cannot find lecturers to fulfill all the scholarships,” said Dr Trinh Truong Giang, Headmaster of the university.

There are fewer opportunities for non-state university faculty to study abroad. However, even their overseas contingent has been increasing.

The HCM City Foreign Language and Informatics University, for example, has sent 14 of 23 lecturers abroad.

The HCM City Technology University also has 2/38 lecturers following post-graduate training courses in the US and Japan, while two others are going abroad with state-funded scholarships.

Going studying to return

Returning home after the training courses is the choice of many young lecturers. Prof Dr Bui Khanh The, Deputy Headmaster of the HCM City Foreign Languages and Informatics University, said that many leaders of the university are young lecturers who have returned from overseas training courses.

Dr Truong Thanh Long of the HCM City Agriculture and Forestry University decided to return to work for the university after he got a doctorate degree in cooking processing in Australia.

“I want to continue my research work and devote myself to the domestic food processing industry,” he said.

The HCM City Agriculture and Forestry University has over 50 lecturers that have attended overseas training courses, while the number is 21 for the HCM City Foreign Languages and Informatics University, and 50 for the city’s Unviersity of Natural Sciences.

Phuoc from the HCM City of Natural Sciences said that overseas-trained lecturers now have more opportunities in Vietnam. They can also be assigned to become leaders in their profession, if they are capable. They have a lot of promotion opportunities in the home country, and this has prompted them to return home, while ignoring attractive invitations to work in foreign countries.

(Source: Tuoi tre)