VietNamNet Bridge – The decision by the Government has been applauded by the majority of people. They have been offering suggestions about the models of university complexes in the future and how to deal with the land plots to that will be left by universities.

Vu Van Huy, a VietNamNet’s reader praises the decision to relocate universities . “It is necessary to relocate universities as soon as possible,” he wrote to the editorial board. Regarding the land plots, Huy said that the city’s local authorities can build new primary schools on the land, especially when the city is still seriously lacking primary schools and children have to study in hired classrooms and many schools still do not have school yards.

Sharing the same view, Thanh Tung, another reader, said that the land should be reserved for kindergartens, primary schools or hospitals, rather than shopping malls or used for other commercial purposes.

“Everyone can see that Hanoi lacks hospitals, which is why two or three patients have to share the same bed. We also lack primary schools, which explains why every class has up to 50-60 students,” he wrote.

However, Tung doubts that the land areas will be used for public constructions. He is worried that the new urban areas projects, like Royal City will be allocated the land.

Meanwhile, Le Nghia looks at the matter from another angle. He believes that the relocation of schools to suburb areas will ease the traffic jam in the inner city. Meanwhile, once schools are located in large land areas, they will be more modern and better equipped, thus improving the quality of teaching and learning. The presence of educational institutions in the suburbs will help develop the economy in the localities. “Why to cling to the inner city which is now too cramped and noisy?” he questioned.

Tran Tuan Anh, a student, believes that at the new places, universities will have better conditions to develop, while students will be able to find accommodation more easily. Currently, it is very difficult to find rooms to rent in the inner city, and it is too noisy and dusty on the streets, which certainly isn’t a good environment for study.

Hoang Van Chi, a reader who lives in a rural area, who has two sons studying at universities in Hanoi, also said he was happy with the relocation plans. “It will be easier to find rooms to rent in the suburb areas, and the rents will be lower, which will ease the financial burden on us,” he said.

Suggesting the new model for “university villages”, Architect Tran Thanh Binh, Head of the School Design Institute under the Ministry of Education and Training, said that Vietnam should build the complexes of universities and junior colleges which would mean that independent schools could share some material facilities (libraries, conference halls, sports complex, accommodation and other service centers).

Binh stressed that this was the model applied in many countries proving its advantages. Especially, the model allows to save nearly 30 percent of the land area, use it in the most effective way and still ensure the teaching quality.

This means that the schools will be designed as an open space for students and lecturers to exchange views and knowledge.

In fact, different models of university complexes have been suggested in the last three years. Modern university villages have been built on a small scale, including Saigon-Long An (180 hectares), Kinh Bac (200 hectares), mostly reserved for non-state universities, and the Pho Hien University area in Hung Yen province, which just got the approval from the Prime Minister.

Kieu Oanh