The draft national key programme on mathematics development by 2020 has set the goal of improving Vietnam’s mathematics ranking in the world, from 54th currently to 40th.

All the professors, doctors and postgraduates would be invited from outside and work for 3-5 month terms.

Prof Tran Van Nhung, dead of the committee in charge of drafting the programe, said that the institute will serve as a breakthrough in the development of Vietnamese mathematics, especially as lecturers at universities do not have opportunities to do research because they have to spend most of their time teaching.

Prof Ngo Dinh Tri raised a question: “Will the state be able to pay enough money to invite scientists to work for the institute?”

In developed countries, there are always mathematics and natural sciences, history and social sciences Institutes. Should Vietnam set up an institute just specialising in mathematics?

Other experts have doubts if it is really necessary to set up new institutes just to do mathematics research. The US, a very big country, only has two mathematics institutes.

Prof Nguyen Huu Viet Hung from the Hanoi University of Natural Sciences under the Hanoi National University does not oppose the idea of setting up such an institute, but asks another question: “How will the institute link with the mathematics in the country?”

It is estimated that some VND500 billion will be spent on the operation of the institute, or half of the estimates for the programme on mathematics development of Vietnam by 2020.

Top 40?

The national key mathematics development programme has set a goal that by 2020, Vietnam’s ranking in mathematics will be upgraded from 54^th currently to 40^th.

However, Prof Hoang Tuy, the advisor of the programme, does not think that it is necessary to set that goal.

Tuy said that there are in Vietnam several high-ranking mathematicians who are in no way inferior to those in other countries in the world. However, Vietnam is inferior to the countries in medium-level mathematics.

Tuy believes that it is not important to set a goal about which ranking Vietnam must have in the world, but it is important to develop high-ranking mathematicians and train young mathematicians so that they can inherit the research achievements of their predecessors.

“It is necessary to retain them, at any cost, or Vietnam will not have any high-ranking mathematicians in some more years,” Tuy said.

Gifted schools, the places that provide talented mathematicians

Regarding the measures to train talented mathematicians, experts say that there exist two different viewpoints, either to set up gifted schools on a big scale, or reject gifted schools.

Tuy said that in order to upgrade Vietnamese mathematics, which has fallen behind, it is necessary for experts to come to an agreement about gifted schools, and that it is necessary to upgrade the gifted school system.

Students who show talent in mathematics in gifted schools should be allowed to skip grades and sent to domestic and international universities.

“In Vietnam, most people stop doing research after they get a doctorate degree. This is not a good way. We need to send them abroad regularly for re-training,” said Le Tuan Hoa, Deputy President of the Mathematics Institute.

Cam Quyen