More than 1,000 new psychology
graduates are required in HCM City each year, mostly as counsellors, but the
number of students opting for the stream is very low.

Tran Anh
Tuan, deputy head of the HCM City Centre for Forecasting Manpower Needs and
Labour Market Information, made the statement, adding that as a result there was
a shortage in the work place.

Tran
Tuan Lo, head of the City-based Van Hien University’s psychology faculty, said
this was because students had not recognised its importance yet.

Nearly
10 years after the course was started, his faculty only received around 40
applicants a year though the qualifying score was fairly low, he said.

Others
like the City-based Social Sciences and Humanities University and Da Lat
University too got few applications, he said.

Meanwhile, many industries were in need of counsellors, he added.

Phung
Thi Nguyet Thu, deputy head of the Mac Dinh Chi High School, said the role of
counsellors was becoming very important because of the pressures in a rapidly
developing society.

Schools
need counsellors to help students with problems related to studies, exams, and
relationships and act as bridges between schools and families.

However,
many of them lack counsellors.

Hospitals too need a large number of counsellors.

Dr Trinh
Duc Thang, head of the Psychiatric Hospital, said all kinds of hospitals needed
psychologists to counsel patients.

Nguyen
Thi Tam, head of Hon Viet Company, a counselling centre, said high schools
should orient their students in this stream to help them know its importance.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News