On the afternoon of November 5th, the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education organized the 2023 education workshop on institutions and policies to improve the quality of higher education.
Speaking at the conference, Mr. Le Quan, Director of Hanoi National University, stated that the issue of autonomy for universities currently faces many difficulties.
Regarding investment in education, he analyzed that, although the Party and State's policy is to prioritize investment in education, the budget for higher education in particular accounts for only 0.27% of GDP, which is many times lower than in the region and the world.
Mr. Le Quan, Director of Hanoi National University, delivered a speech on the afternoon of November 5th.
The phased reduction in recurrent expenditures is causing difficulties for non-autonomous universities. Autonomous universities have to use tuition fees from students to cover their operating costs. Revenue from domestic universities typically accounts for 60-90% of their operating expenses, whereas in other countries, this figure is no more than 60%.
For example, in the US, tuition fees account for 20% of a public university's revenue (the government subsidizes 43%). In New Zealand, this figure is 28% (the government subsidizes 42%). Similarly, in the UK, tuition fees account for approximately 53% of a university's revenue (the government subsidizes 14%). Thus, in developed countries, the government still provides financial support to universities through funding programs.
Mr. Le Quan stated that compared to 10 years ago, universities have made remarkable progress and achieved many accomplishments, but they are also facing many challenges due to inadequate mechanisms and policies. "Especially the two national universities currently operating under the same management and operational mechanisms as smaller universities. This 'institutional uniformity' is causing difficulties for these universities and preventing them from fully utilizing their potential," he said.
Therefore, mechanisms and investments are urgently needed to enable higher education institutions to realize their long-term vision, focusing on training and nurturing talent in important and essential fields of the country. The Director of Hanoi National University emphasized that while the National Assembly has issued many specific mechanisms for various sectors and localities, there is no specific mechanism for education in general, and especially for higher education.
He also mentioned the important role of the rector in implementing autonomy for universities. "For example, at Hanoi National University today, finding a good rector is very difficult. In the past two to three years, several colleagues have resigned from the rector position to move to other jobs. This shows that this is a very stressful and challenging job in terms of management," the Director emphasized.
According to him, in order for universities to have sufficient investment resources, the State should also consider investing directly in universities through competitive bidding. Universities that receive investment must fulfill the tasks assigned by the State in both training and scientific research.
This form of support allows the state to invest effectively at competitive costs. Meanwhile, universities will gain significant resources to invest in key research programs and training programs requiring modern equipment.
The Director of Hanoi National University also raised the issue of low funding for science and technology at universities in Vietnam. While the number of international publications has been quite impressive recently, it is still not commensurate with the requirements and potential. Scientists have mastered their expertise but spend a considerable amount of time processing disbursement procedures with too much paperwork.
He proposed the need to establish scholarship funds and preferential loans to prioritize fundamental science fields essential for national development, such as basic sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, philosophy, history, culture), and fundamental engineering fields (mechanical engineering, agriculture, environment)...
Overview of the conference.
Speaking at the conference, Mr. Tran Thanh Man, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, assessed that during the period 2013-2021, the number of higher education institutions increased from 207 to 237; the scale of training at all levels of higher education also increased significantly during this period. The percentage of lecturers with doctoral degrees increased from 14.38% (in 2013) to 31.28% in 2021.
However, higher education still reveals many limitations and shortcomings in terms of scale, structure of disciplines, and work skills. Institutional frameworks and policies regarding university autonomy are contradictory and lack uniformity in understanding, application, and implementation guidelines, especially concerning the practical implementation of university autonomy.
Funding for higher education remains low. The policy of socializing education has not yet truly attracted the participation of many social groups. The number, structure, and quality of university lecturers do not meet the increasingly high demands, especially in terms of innovation and creativity.
Ha Cuong
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