VietNamNet Bridge – Many universities have expressed their dissatisfaction of the draft circular by MOET on compiling textbooks for training courses

Many universities have expressed their dissatisfaction of the draft circular by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) on compiling textbooks for training courses, saying that MOET is attempting to intervene too deeply in their operation.

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At a meeting organized on May 25 in HCM City, many universities asserted that it is not necessary for the ministry to draft a document about textbooks that outlines the definition of and requirements for textbooks. They cite that universities have been operating well for years, writing textbooks and syllabi on their own.

Attendees pointed out a lot of problems in the draft document. Most lecturers think that Article 12, which says “the group of authors must take responsibility for the scientific content of textbooks,” is not unreasonable.

Yet, according to the lecturers, the chief author of a textbook must take the main responsibility over the content. Besides, textbooks should be compiled by small groups of authors, with only, two or three compilers at maximum.

Article 10 of the draft document says that the chief author of textbooks for university and junior college training courses must attained the title of professor, associate professor or Ph.D.

The lecturers disagree and argue that those with Master’s degrees who have good qualifications can also compile textbooks. In some cases, moreover, when faculties do not have doctors or professors, they should be allowed to write textbooks. The lecturers maintain that MOET should let university and junior college presidents decide who will write the textbooks.

Regarding textbook selection, the draft decree says that a textbook appraisal council will decide which books to use. Meeting participants believe that this should be decided by subject teams rather than by an appraisal council, because the council will not be able to cover the entire field content.

Participants also claimed that it is not necessary to stipulate that the number of pages in textbooks must fit the duration of learning, because the knowledge of subjects do not depend on the number of credits.

In general, universities believe that it is necessary to have autonomy in the domain of learning, and that MOET should not intervene too deeply.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Hoang Ngan, Deputy President of the HCM City Economics University, observed that universities have their own regulations on writing textbooks already. Therefore, MOET’s document on compiling, appraising and using textbooks should not be too detailed, but only provide general guidelines while MOET allows universities to decide what they must do.

A HCM City National University representative added that the university has its own regulations on textbook compilation and royalties already, which they have followed for many years. Therefore, the university will consider MOET’s circular as a reference document.

Source: Nguoi lao dong