VietNamNet Bridge – National Assembly deputies analyzed problems of Vietnam’s higher education at a working session on June 7.

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Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan.

Dao Trong Thi, Chairman of the NA’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children, presented the Committee’s supervisory report on the implementation of policies on establishment, investment in and quality of higher education.

Deputies were asked to approve the NA Standing Committee’s proposal that the Government “study and renew mechanisms to create favourable conditions to improve the effectiveness of scientific research and transfer of technology.” Specifically, the Standing Committee recommended providing financial aid for scientific research and exempting the transfer of technology at higher education establishments from taxation.

Though deputies generally agreed with the NA Standing Committee’s outline of the achievements and shortcomings of the nation’s nearly 400 colleges and universities, that didn’t stop them from voicing criticisms.

Deputy Le Van Cuong of Thanh Hoa said that the oversight report sketches the highlights and shadows of the higher education system, it doesn’t explain the reasons for shortfalls or identify those who should take responsibility for the easy licencing of new universities that has affected training quality.

Cuong called for regulations which stipulate the respective responsibilities of the NA, the Government, relevant ministries and departments, localities and each university and college for controlling and improving the quality of tertiary education.

Deputies Huynh Nghia (Da Nang) and Nguyen Huu Phuoc (Ben Tre) called the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) ‘weak’ in dealing with universities that break the rules.

Deputy Ma Dien Cu (Quang Ngai) said that higher education in Vietnam still emphasizes theory, not practice, and lags behind the times.

“HCM City University’s undergraduate program in economics requires a student to attend only 1000 hours of classes. That’s only one-third the class time a similar program in the US. In Vietnam, all university libraries have textbooks from the 1960’s and 1970’s while in other countries, texts are replaced or updated every five years,” Cu said.

Many deputies agreed that universities that fail to meet standards ought to be dissolved. Deputy Nghia wryly observed that many private universities are established as profit-making ventures, so “investing in a university is similar to setting up a company.”

Deputy Truong Van No (Long An) said it is too easy to register a new university or college. Organizers are not required to guarantee the quality of instruction or even say how much it will cost. As No sees it, many newly-established schools with inadequate facilities are still enrolling students. He proposed that the Government take over the operation of inefficient universities and punish them if they fail to implement their registration commitments. A clear definition of the responsibilities of relevant ministries, agencies and localities relating to education management is also needed, No said.

Deputy Nguyen Ngoc Minh (Ninh Thuan) stressed that the shortage of teachers is one of the greatest challenges facing the education sector. The number of students has increased thirteen times but the number of teachers only three times over the past 20 years. Minh said the MoET should limit licenses to universities for provision of in-service training and strictly control the quality of teaching and lecturers as well as of students.

Agreeing, deputy Ngo Thi Doan Thanh (Hanoi) said that around 900,000 students are enrolled in in-service (work-study) training programs. That’s too many, Thanh said, and the quality of education is low. Many newly-established schools have had to hire buildings to serve as classrooms, and have lacked space to meet needs for sporting and cultural activities. Far too many universities have both inadequate facilities and a lack of qualified lecturers. “The MoET should inspect enrollment at universities,” Thanh said.

Deputy Dinh Ngoc Luong (Cao Bang) stressed that a decline in the standard of graduates in recent years is the result of a shortage of qualified teaching staff and education facilities. Though 304 universities and colleges were established or upgraded between 1998 and 2009, twenty percent of newly-established private schools lack facilities, equipment, labs, libraries and halls. Only ten percent of lecturers have PhD’s, she said, and only 37 percent have masters degrees.

Deputy Dang Thi Nga (Lam Dong) proposed that to protect learners’ rights, the NA should stipulate that a university that fails to meet requirements for facilities and teachers within three years of its establishment must be degraded to college or high school, or forced to stop operating.

Many deputies also raised concerns over the links between training and research and income for university lecturers.

“New lecturers earn a monthly salary of two million dong. That’s not enough to live on, so how can they focus their minds on teaching or research” asked Deputy Nguyen Van Thoi (Thai Nguyen). “With that income, how can we aspire to ever to have universities in the world’s top 200?”

After hearing the opinions of nearly 40 deputies, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan said “As the Minister of Education and Training, I agree that we can’t continue establishing unqualified universities. However, I can’t tell you right now how we will deal with them. I’ll have an answer for you next year.”

Nhan presently the focus in the education sector is on management reforms. “I hope that in the next three years, to 2012, we’ll lay the foundation for real progress in the subsequent years”.

Questioned by Deputy Nguyen Minh Thuyet (Lang Son) about MoET’s promise that by 2010 teachers would be paid a living wage, Nhan said salaries have been more than doubled since 2006, reaching 2.5 to 4 million dong per month. That’s higher than some other sectors, he said, but still inadequate.

PV