Deputies at the 7th session of the 12th National Assembly (NA) discussed the implementation of law on establishment, investment and quality of university education on June 7 in an effort to improve the national education quality. Vietnam had 180 universities and 232 colleges by September 30, 2009. Despite the fast expansion and rapid growth in the numbers of universities and colleges, the quality of education still fails to meet the social demand and development in the region, the Vietnamese Government said on its website on June 8, citing a report from the NA Standing Committee. In fact, lots of universities and colleges cannot ensure education quality in line with Education Law, Deputy Trieu Thi Binh said, proposing the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) should control, monitor and suspend the operation of these educational centers. Other delegates also asked the government and the MoET to check the training conditions of newly established universities, instead of granting operational licenses beyond the limit. In the last three years, state budget spending on education rose by 20%, but investment in tertiary education accounted for just 10-20% of the total. From 1987 to 2009, the total number of students in Vietnam increased by 13-fold, but the number of lecturers rose by only three times. Many teachers have 1,000 classes a year, four times. The MoET aims to have at least 50% of university lecturers with doctorates, but right now the ratio is only 10.16%. If the current situation of tertiary education in Vietnam is not improved, the local education sector will lag behind in the global integration, the officials warned. To deal with the situation, the committee proposed that the NA issue a resolution on tertiary education and quickly compile the Law on Tertiary Education.
Vietnam targets to have one university placed among the world’s top 200 universities by 2020.
