VietNamNet Bridge – Poor infrastructure and material facilities, as well as unsuitable living and learning environments for students, are the big problems that many non-state universities are facing.

The buildings of Ha Hoa Tien university, located on a large land plot

Established in September 2007, but the number of students the university has enrolled has proven to be modest.

According to the university’s Deputy Rector, Van Ba Thanh, there are approximately 500 students studying at the university. In the 2008-2009 academic year, Ha Hoa Tien was allowed to enroll 1,000 students for both university and junior college training; however, it was only able to enroll approximately 300 students.

Meanwhile, the university’s lecture halls allow to teach 4,000 students at the same time, while the dormitory has enough rooms for 2,400 students.

Not lucky enough to have such a large land plot, Nguyen Trai University’s lecture halls are situated in the 7^th to 9^th floors of a 20-storey building in the centre of Hanoi.

Like Ha Hoa Tien, Nguyen Trai University finds if difficult to enroll students. Established in February 2008, the university was only able to enroll 40 students for the latest academic year, in the programs of finance and banking, and business administration. Other faculties of the university, including accountancy and auditing, have not yet found students.

It seems that the Dai Nam University is luckier than Ha Hoa Tien and Nguyen Trai Universities. It was able to enroll 1,000 students for the 2008-2009 academic year, raising the total number of students studying at the university to 1,230, who are learning accountancy, construction, English and Chinese

Deputy Headmaster of Dai Nam University said that the lecture halls are large enough for 1,500 students. There are also equipped classrooms, function rooms, and libraries, but there lacks the scenery of a pedagogical environment.

Boring study

Doan Thi Thu Hang, a first year student of Ha Hoa Tien University from Ha Nam province, complained that the students have to stay at the university’s dormitory most of the time and that they can only go out on weekends. Hang said that the life here is like one in army camp, which makes her feel very bored.

While Deputy Rector Van Ba Thanh said that the university has 500 students, the students here affirmed that there are only two classes of first-year students, including 89 students at university level and 91 students at junior college level, and one class of 2-year students.

Pham Thi Bich Ngoc, a student from Nam Dinh province, complained about the dormitory. There are 12 beds in a 20 sq m room, while students have to pay VND 100,000 a month.

“We have asked to live in a room of eight, and we have asked to pay VND 150,000 a month,” Hang said.

In 1997, Vietnam had 110 universities and junior colleges, while some 200 more have been established so far. The rapidly increasing number of universities shows the increasingly high demand for studying in society. However, the training quality and university conditions remain problems.

Bao Anh