VietNamNet
Bridge – Existing for the last 20 years, non-state universities don’t look much
different than they did when they first opened in Vietnam. Students only register to
study at non-state schools if they fail the entrance exams to state-owned
schools. This has been blamed on the discriminatory treatment between
state-owned and non-state schools.

Lacking
campuses

The report released by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee in
2010 showed that even after many years of operation, many universities still do
not have campuses. Some of the schools have not been allocated land to build
campuses (Dong Do, Van Hien and Hung Vuong Universities), while some others
have to compensate for site clearance themselves. To date, 15 out of 78
non-state schools still have to set up classes on rent places. Most of the
places do not have room for students to play or for extracurricular activities.

In HCM City,
the Hong Bang University
has classes located in 10 different places in different districts. The Van Hien
University, which was established 13 years ago, still does not have a
headquarters. In 2006, the school was allocated a 5.6 hectare land plot in Binh
Chanh district. However, it still cannot build a campus on it because it still
has to compensate local residents for site clearance. Currently, the school
still has to pay 7 billion dong to rent classrooms. Similarly, the students of Hung Vuong
HCM City
University, which was
established in May 1995, now still have to study in classrooms on different
eight places. Especially, the school’s headquarter is now located on the campus
of an agency.

Lacking
lecturers

Under the current regulations, the required minimum ratio of land area
is 55-85 square meters per student. However, by the end of 2009, the total land
area of 32 universities and junior colleges in the inner HCM City
had been 256.2 hectares only, or 12.9 square meters per student. Seven out of
31 schools only had 0.4-9 square meters per student. Especially, the ratio was
very low for Hong
Bang University,
0.51 square meter per student, Van Lang 0.64, Huflit 0.46 square meter per
student.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the current ratio
of students per lecturer (28 students per lecturer) is too high in comparison
with the current regulations. However, the report by the National Assembly’s
Standing Committee shows a more serious problem. At some schools, the ratio is
40 students per lecturer, including Huflit (47.3 students per lecturer), Tay Do
(44.2) Hong Bang (40.2). The noteworthy thing is that the number of visiting
lecturers is always higher than the number of permanent lecturers. Dong Do
University, for example, only has 53 permanent lecturers, while there are 375
visiting lecturers.

Under the current regulations, professors and high ranking lecturers
have 360 teaching hours per year, while associate professors and key lecturers
have 320 teaching hours, and normal lecturers 280 hours. However, in fact, many
lecturers of non-state schools have 1000 teaching hours per year.

Difficult to
enroll students

The Ministry of Education and Training has decided that by 2020, Vietnam will
have 4.5 million students nationwide, including 1.5 million students at
non-state-owned schools (30-40 percent of total students). However, at
non-state -owned schools though the number of schools keeps increasing, the
number of students tends to decrease.

In 1997, Vietnam
had 15 non-state owned universities, and the number rose to 78 in September
2009. Meanwhile, the number of students at schools in the 2006-2007 academic
year was 139,121, a slight decrease in comparison with the previous year. 2010
was considered the most difficult year for non-state schools which complained
that they could not enroll enough students for their majors. Professor Tran Huu
Nghi, President of the Hai
Phong University,
has warned: “If there are not enough students, sooner or later many schools
will die”.

Schools call
for equal treatment

Dr Nguyen Mong Hung, president of Van Hien University, said that while
the State creates the best conditions for state-owned schools to operate by
giving land, material facilities and money, non-state schools have manage
themselves.

“It would be a heavy burden on us, if the State only allocates land,
while we have to manage and undertake all other things,” he said.

Dr Le Van Ly, President of Hung Vuong University, also said that
students prefer studying at state-owned universities to non-state schools just
because they do not have to pay tuitions when studying at state-owned schools
and they believe that the schools are always supported by the State.

Source: Tien
phong