Reform in Higher Education of Vietnam Higher education in Vietnam includes Associate, Bachelor, Master and Doctorate level. Associate level is for 2 to 3 years depending on the disciplines and it is for students with upper secondary education certificates, 1.5 to 2 years for students with secondary vocational certificates of the same disciplines. Bachelor programs are from 4 to 6 years depending on the disciplines and for students with upper secondary education certificates. Master level is from 1 to 2 years for students with bachelor degrees. Doctoral level is for 3 - 4 years for students with master degrees The last two decades have witnessed a rapid change of higher education in Vietnam and this change has been clearly seen in the expansion of the existing institutions as well as the establishment of new universities and colleges in all parts of Vietnam. There were 101 universities and colleges in the country in 1987 in compare with 376 in 2009. The number of HE students increased from 133,000 in 1987 to over 1.7 million in 2009, which was 13 times higher; and the number of lecturers increased over 3 times from 20,000 to 61,000 “pressing need for significant modernization of Vietnam’s higher educational system, including fundamental changes in governance, institutional autonomy, financing and administration, faculty hiring, promotion and salary structure, as well as in curricula and the modalities of teaching, evaluation, and research” (p. 3). While Vietnam’s higher education system is developing rapidly and on a large scale, the education ministry’s management is failing to keep pace and Higher education management lagging behind” In the last few years, non-public institutions concentrated mainly on such areas of study as economics, business administration, foreign languages, and subjects requiring little investment in equipment and laboratories issued the “3 commons” regulation (same entrance examinations, same examination schedule and using same examination scores for admission consideration, and minimum band scores for all college admission). College education provides students with professional knowledge and basic practical skills in a profession, and with the ability to solve common problems in that field of study. University education helps students acquire in-depth professional knowledge and good practical skills in a profession with the ability to work independently and creatively as well as to solve problems in their fields of study. Master programs help students master theories, acquire advanced practical skills with the ability to work independently and creatively, as well as to identify and solve problems in their fields of study. Doctoral programs provide students with advanced level theories and practice with the ability to conduct independent and creative research, to identify and solve emerging issues relating to science and technology and to carry out scientific research and professional activities. Since 1998 until the present 33 universities have been established (2 public and 31 non-public) and 54 colleges have been upgraded to universities (51 public universities and 3 non-public universities). A total of 35 of the 63 provinces currently have new universities; 23 of the provinces have more than one university or college. A total of 10 provinces have 3 or more higher education facilities; in Ho Chi Minh City alone, there are 18 new universities and in Hanoi there are 23 new universities. The number of new universities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City accounts for 43% of newly established or upgraded universities. Currently, 40 of the 63 provinces and central cities have universities. A total of 60 of the 63 provinces and central cities have colleges. Finally, all but one (62) provinces and central cities have at least one college or university Solutions leading to these reform actions suggested by MOET in the Vietnam Education in the Early Years of the 21st Century include: 1. Renovating of training structure and completing the network plan for higher education institutions 2. Renovating of training contents, methods and procedure 3. Renovating the recruiting, training and retraining of lecturers and educational managers 4. Renovating research activities 5. Renovating financial mechanism and resource mobilization procedure 6. Renovation of management mechanism 7. Increasing investment in infrastructure for higher education Curriculum frames. “Advisory Councils for Higher Education Curriculum Frames have been established to ensure modern contents and high quality standards of training similar to those in other advanced countries in the region and in the world. Training programs, the authorization of colleges and universities to design textbooks and teaching materials with updated and advanced content. Quality management has been given great attention in recent years Agencies in charge of quality assurance and accreditation have been established. Besides the General Department for Educational Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Testing under MOET established in August 2004, Centers for Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Testing have been founded in 60 out of 63 Provincial Departments of Education and Training (95%), and 77 Units for Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Testing have been set up at colleges and universities. By December 2008, 114 out of 163 (70%) universities have completed their internal auditing, and 40 of which have received external auditing. Reform in Higher Education of Vietnam Higher education in Vietnam includes Associate, Bachelor, Master and Doctorate level. Associate level is for 2 to 3 years depending on the disciplines and it is for students with upper secondary education certificates, 1.5 to 2 years for students with secondary vocational certificates of the same disciplines. Bachelor programs are from 4 to 6 years depending on the disciplines and for students with upper secondary education certificates. Master level is from 1 to 2 years for students with bachelor degrees. Doctoral level is for 3 - 4 years for students with master degrees The last two decades have witnessed a rapid change of higher education in Vietnam and this change has been clearly seen in the expansion of the existing institutions as well as the establishment of new universities and colleges in all parts of Vietnam. There were 101 universities and colleges in the country in 1987 in compare with 376 in 2009. The number of HE students increased from 133,000 in 1987 to over 1.7 million in 2009, which was 13 times higher; and the number of lecturers increased over 3 times from 20,000 to 61,000 “pressing need for significant modernization of Vietnam’s higher educational system, including fundamental changes in governance, institutional autonomy, financing and administration, faculty hiring, promotion and salary structure, as well as in curricula and the modalities of teaching, evaluation, and research” (p. 3). While Vietnam’s higher education system is developing rapidly and on a large scale, the education ministry’s management is failing to keep pace and Higher education management lagging behind” In the last few years, non-public institutions concentrated mainly on such areas of study as economics, business administration, foreign languages, and subjects requiring little investment in equipment and laboratories issued the “3 commons” regulation (same entrance examinations, same examination schedule and using same examination scores for admission consideration, and minimum band scores for all college admission). College education provides students with professional knowledge and basic practical skills in a profession, and with the ability to solve common problems in that field of study. University education helps students acquire in-depth professional knowledge and good practical skills in a profession with the ability to work independently and creatively as well as to solve problems in their fields of study. Master programs help students master theories, acquire advanced practical skills with the ability to work independently and creatively, as well as to identify and solve problems in their fields of study. Doctoral programs provide students with advanced level theories and practice with the ability to conduct independent and creative research, to identify and solve emerging issues relating to science and technology and to carry out scientific research and professional activities. Since 1998 until the present 33 universities have been established (2 public and 31 non-public) and 54 colleges have been upgraded to universities (51 public universities and 3 non-public universities). A total of 35 of the 63 provinces currently have new universities; 23 of the provinces have more than one university or college. A total of 10 provinces have 3 or more higher education facilities; in Ho Chi Minh City alone, there are 18 new universities and in Hanoi there are 23 new universities. The number of new universities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City accounts for 43% of newly established or upgraded universities. Currently, 40 of the 63 provinces and central cities have universities. A total of 60 of the 63 provinces and central cities have colleges. Finally, all but one (62) provinces and central cities have at least one college or university Solutions leading to these reform actions suggested by MOET in the Vietnam Education in the Early Years of the 21st Century include: 1. Renovating of training structure and completing the network plan for higher education institutions 2. Renovating of training contents, methods and procedure 3. Renovating the recruiting, training and retraining of lecturers and educational managers 4. Renovating research activities 5. Renovating financial mechanism and resource mobilization procedure 6. Renovation of management mechanism 7. Increasing investment in infrastructure for higher education Curriculum frames. “Advisory Councils for Higher Education Curriculum Frames have been established to ensure modern contents and high quality standards of training similar to those in other advanced countries in the region and in the world. Training programs, the authorization of colleges and universities to design textbooks and teaching materials with updated and advanced content. Quality management has been given great attention in recent years Agencies in charge of quality assurance and accreditation have been established. Besides the General Department for Educational Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Testing under MOET established in August 2004, Centers for Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Testing have been founded in 60 out of 63 Provincial Departments of Education and Training (95%), and 77 Units for Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Testing have been set up at colleges and universities. By December 2008, 114 out of 163 (70%) universities have completed their internal auditing, and 40 of which have received external auditing.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 06:24:21 +0000