LookAtVietnam – A lack of qualified university lecturers is a major problem at many universities in the Mekong Delta.

VietNamNet Bridge – A lack of qualified university lecturers is a major problem at many universities in the Mekong Delta. Many experienced lecturers, after serving in the provinces for five years, leave the rural areas for bigger cities and bigger universities.

Training hit by lecturer shortage

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Dr. Pham Chau Long, Deputy President of Tien Giang University, maintained that lecturers play a decisive role in the training quality of a university. Therefore, the professors must have above average degrees and must possess good teaching skills.

Even though the importance of professors is well understood, it has not been easy for Mekong Delta institutions to attract enthusiastic lecturers

Ha Hong Van, MA, President of Hau Giang Junior Community College, complained that they do not have enough professors and those already teaching have low qualifications. “Many proficient lecturers, after serving in rural areas for five years, leave for bigger cities and universities,” she asserted.

In fact, universities in Mekong Delta also find it difficult to enroll good students who will become professors in the future. Most students wish to study in central universities and they only come to small universities when they fail central schools’ exams.

To improve the quality of professors, some education experts say it is necessary to exchange lecturers among the regional schools.

Tran Quang Quy, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education and Training, the idea is not realistic. Many schools in the region would end up relying on lecturers from Can Tho University, the largest university in the region. Quy stressed that every university needs qualified lecturers of its own and they should regard this as a vital task.

Using “external forces”?

Some participants who attended the last week’s workshop on education renovation in Can Tho suggested that universities could use “external force” to improve the qualifications of lecturers, (i.e., they could invite qualified lecturers from other areas rather than training lecturers themselves).

Tran Manh Hung, Lecturer of Bac Lieu University, agreed with the idea. Hung remarked that there are many people who have doctorates or Master’s degrees, who are presently working at state agencies.

“Universities can invite them to work as visiting lecturers at their schools, because these instructors have high academic distinction and a wealth of experience,” he explained.

“We have been very successful with this method at Bac Lieu,” Hung added.

Meanwhile, Ngo Thanh Lam, Director of Tay Do Cement Company, observed that schools must have close relationships with businesses to improve the quality of teaching.

Lam went on to discuss how Tay Do Cement Company has received many students who come there to work during their internship period. This benefits both sides, he argued. Enterprises can choose talented employees for the future and students can work to gain more experience that will be helpful in their future careers.

Source: Nguoi lao dong