VietNamNet Bridge – With the deadline for receiving applications for second-choice universities coming in several days. VietNamNet Bridge – With the deadline for receiving applications for second-choice universities coming in several days, many schools anticipate that some of their departments will have to be shut down.

Foreign languages not favored any more

The HCM City University of Foreign Languages and Information Technology (Huflit) has received only 5-10 applications for Chinese language and Chinese studies majors.

Ly Ngoc Duc, Deputy Head of the Training Division, said in 2009, only 10 students were enrolled to the majors, not enough to open a class. As a solution, the students registering to study the two majors were persuaded to follow South Korean studies. He admitted that it is not likely that the university will be able to enroll enough students to open a class this year.

The Japanese language department of the Hung Vuong University is facing the same problem. Nguyen Thi Mai Binh, Head of the Training Division of the university, said the school has received several applications so far.

The Van Hien University had to shut down many of its foreign language departments, including French, Japanese, and Chinese. It now only maintains a commercial English major, but the number of students registering to follow this major is regularly modest. Only 30 students were enrolled in 2009.

To date, the university has one student, who passed the entrance exam to the major as his first choice, and has received 50 applications for studying as students’ second choice. However, Nguyen Quoc Hop, Head of the Training Division, said the university just hopes to enroll ½ of its “quota.”

“Several years ago, when Vietnam began integrating into the world, it was prevalent for students to study foreign languages. However, the situation is quite different now. Foreign languages are now only considered a necessary skill for people in their jobs rather than as a career. Therefore, students have become less interested in studying foreign languages at the college level,” Hop explained.

New majors drag out miserable existence

At many schools, new majors cannot find students. The HCM City Central Pedagogical Junior College, for example, still finds it difficult to enroll students for three majors, including household business, cultural management, and graphics.

Nguyen Nguyen Binh, Head of the school’s training division, said he has received only four applications for cultural management and 20 applications for household business.

Construction technology is also a new major at Hung Vuong University. In 2009, the first year of training, only 50 students were enrolled, while the school planned to receive 100 applications.

Meanwhile, Van Hien University is likely to stop its training of two majors, cultural studies and Vietnamese studies. Hop said in 2009, the university enrolled 20 students, but only ten students entered the school, while the other ten students gave up.

To date, representatives of schools still say they are not sure if the schools will shut down some majors because of a shortage of students. The schools are still expecting more applications from students and they want to maintain majors in order to benefit students who really wish to pursue these majors. However, if there are no students, schools have no choice but to shut down these majors.

Source: Nguoi lao dong