Vietnamese higher education must follow world trends

Listening to the report summarizing the 2014-2015 school year and the direction and tasks for the 2015-2016 school year for universities and colleges of the Ministry of Education and Training, along with the opinions of delegates at 5 connecting points and at the hall, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam expressed his excitement at the consensus that the past school year was a year in which the entire education sector in general - especially universities and colleges - had accomplished many tasks in the spirit of the resolution on fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education and training, with some tasks bringing clear results; at the same time, he affirmed: We have made efforts, have gone in the right direction and need to do more.

The Deputy Prime Minister directed: In the coming time, there should be serious meetings to discuss each issue: Examinations, university autonomy, ranking and stratification... with the participation of relevant ministries, departments, branches, professional organizations such as associations and those directly involved in this work. If possible, the Deputy Prime Minister will participate in each specific content.

In a brief and concise speech, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam stated:
The Ministry of Education and Training urgently completes the necessary procedures to submit to the Prime Minister the content of the national education system. Then, soon issue the national qualifications framework.

It is known that the Ministry of Education and Training has submitted the project. The Ministry does not need to wait for it to be completed to the final level, it can send it right now for schools to contribute, in the spirit of following international trends.

The Deputy Prime Minister affirmed: University autonomy is a trend. Recently, after much debate, 12 autonomous schools have been piloted, and will continue to be reviewed. I hope that instead of asking for a suitable roadmap, schools will ask for a mechanism for each subject.

In the current integration trend, Vietnamese university education is definitely not out of the picture in terms of system, curriculum framework... This is the story of ranking to determine where each school is in the Vietnamese and world education system.

"I am very pleased that recently some schools have paid attention to this and have been listed in the Webometrics rankings, such as Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry" - Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam shared.

Emphasizing that Vietnamese university education has its own characteristics but must follow the world trend, the Government leader gave a specific example: In late 2013 and early 2014, when drafting the Resolution to improve the business environment, in the end, only one point was changed: Definitely follow the world criteria. At first, there was debate, but after reaching consensus and determination, it created very good changes.

The same goes for Vietnamese university education. Let's choose one of the "measures" of university education in world organizations such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Webometrics... Temporarily follow to see how the world views university education, we will do that. Let's boldly proceed.

Proud of Vietnam, of education and university education, excited that in 2014, the number of ISI articles doubled to 2,300, but compared to other countries in the region, this number is nothing. Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam affirmed that Vietnam's university education needs to be stratified in evaluation and ranking, participate in and grade according to international standards. Specific criteria for Vietnam can be added, so that we can know where we stand in the region and the world.

Regarding the exam and admission issues, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam proposed a separate, detailed, and specific meeting. Currently, no final decision has been made, but he affirmed to the people: Next year's exam will definitely inherit what was successful this year, overcome what was not successful to have a fair, honest, and serious exam.

In particular, separate exams and separate admissions. University admissions must be based on the spirit of university autonomy . Universities must enhance their autonomy. The Ministry of Education and Training only issues the most necessary regulations, ensuring fairness for students and respecting the autonomy of schools.