Private sector to drive US-Vietnam higher education ties

Published: 02/10/2009 05:00

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A representative from the State University of New York-Brockport (L) talks to a Vietnamese highschool student during a US education fair in Hanoi

There is great potential for American-style universities in Vietnam, but these will most likely be private sector initiatives, US Ambassador Michael Michalak said on Wednesday.

“I’ve seen already initiatives from the private sector such as Tan Tao University down in Ho Chi Minh City. They’re working with people from Rice University and they’re in the process of setting up an American-style university,” he said.

“There are also private American companies that are now in discussion with Vietnam to set up American-style universities.”

Speaking to Thanh Nien Weekly after a signing ceremony held Wednesday to mark the release of a report prepared by the US-Vietnam Education Task Force for submission to both governments, Michalak said he did not see the US government taking initiative to establish institutions similar to the recently established British University or Vietnam-Germany University.

He added that the US can consider sending higher education accreditation experts to Vietnam and “talk about how Vietnam can set up its own accreditation system.”

This would help Vietnam ensure that American institutions coming to set up programs here are accredited and reputed, he added.

The 35-page report, which will soon be submitted to US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, identifies three main areas for higher education cooperation between the two countries: encouraging more joint programs between American and Vietnamese universities; increasing the number of Vietnamese studying at US universities and colleges, especially in doctoral programs; and promoting educational programs designed to help Vietnamese students acquire skills needed in the global labor market.

Signed by Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan and the US Ambassador, the report suggests that Vietnam streamlines processes necessary for US higher education institutions to cooperate with their Vietnamese counterparts.

The US-Vietnam Education Task Force was created in June 2008 during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to the US.

The task force, comprising senior representatives of both governments and from higher education and business sectors, was charged with recommending ways to strengthen US-Vietnam cooperation in higher education.

“This is not the end of cooperation, rather it is just the beginning,” Michalak said at the ceremony. “Education is one of my highest priorities and I’ve been working very hard to increase our cooperation since my term began two years ago.”

The report also draws a roadmap to establish an American-style university in Vietnam, identifying private sectors in both countries as key stakeholders.

The task force recommends in the report that the US State Department facilitates efforts to send American professors to Vietnam to train faculty and improve university administration practices, and help Vietnamese officials set up university accreditation and educational testing bodies.

Enrollment of Vietnamese students in US colleges and universities jumped 45 percent in the 2007-2008 academic year to 8,769. The worldwide increase only averaged about 7 percent, according to a recent USA Today article.

The two countries have also been operating a number of educational exchange programs, most notably run by the Vietnam Education Foundation and the Fulbright Scholarship Program.

Reported by Huong Le

Provide by Vietnam Travel

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