The Amended Law on Higher Education expected to spur internationalization

Prof. Dr Dang Van Minh

Education & Times Newspaper – The article title was concluded from a discussion between Prof. Dr Dang Van Minh, Vice President of Thai Nguyen University, and a reporter from Education & Times Newspapers regarding the draft revised Law on Higher Education.

Prof. Dr Dang Van Minh explained his views as below:

Universities should be more “open-minded” in order to be integrated into international tertiary education. Therefore, not only Thai Nguyen University, but also other Vietnamese higher educational institutions strongly hope that the draft revised Law on Higher education will be promulgated and realised. It is highly expected that amendments to the revised Law and to related Decrees and regulations will be appropriate and feasible.

We see positive revisions in the draft Law on Higher Education, such as: universities are given greater authority and autonomy. Shortcomings caused by previous legal documents or issues concerning curriculum and the credit system have been adjusted. Remarkably, university governance assessment and university council/board system are described in the amended Law with positive reforms.

During a course provided by Aus4Skills, we had the opportunity to learn about governance and educational and operational models in Australian universities. Currently, there is a wide gap in infrastructure, human resources, training curriculum and quality between the two countries, and we are striving to follow Australian examples.

I have also learnt that the number of higher education institutions in Australia is not as many as in Vietnam. There are nearly 40 universities and colleges across Australia, according to Australian professors. In addition, in Australia, university autonomy has been applied over a long period. Prestigious and notable universities attract a large number of international students. At some universities, overseas students account for a third of the total student population, bringing in an income for the institutions.

In Australia, the employment rate of graduates is high while the unemployed graduate rate in Vietnam is on the rise. Limited educational quality and the relevance of curriculum to labour market demands have been a preoccupation of Vietnamese universities and have affected tertiary enrolments. 

The Amended Law on Higher Education is expected to spur internationalization.

Source: Translation of an article on Education and Times Newspaper