The Ministry of Education and Training speaks out!

Recently, Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Director of the Higher Education Department, Ministry of Education and Training , spoke out about the fact that many private universities are recruiting medical students with admission combinations that include Literature as a subject.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, it must first be affirmed that the Ministry carries out state management of education and training, and is responsible for reviewing and handling any signs or acts of violating state policies and regulations within its scope of management.

Medical school admissions based on a subject combination including Literature are receiving mixed reactions from the public (image source: Internet).

For highly specialized issues such as university entrance exam combinations and entrance exam subjects, it is necessary to listen to training institutions and experts in the relevant fields.

During discussions about the Literature subject in the medical school entrance exam at some private universities, experts and medical schools have voiced their opinions on this professional issue, considering it a very positive sign.

Criticisms from society, the community, the press, experts, etc.; universities also engage in discussions and provide explanations to society, to candidates, and to state management agencies… all demonstrate a positive attitude, reflecting the spirit of university autonomy coupled with accountability.

The Ministry of Education and Training stated that it always listens and incorporates feedback to make policy adjustments that align with its functions and responsibilities in state management. Therefore, it highly appreciates the media's role in conveying the professional opinions of experts and the feedback from medical schools.

These perspectives are crucial for policymakers. Furthermore, the opinions and voices of specialized agencies, experts, families, parents, and candidates provide diverse information for research and selection.

Furthermore, the role of the Ministry of Health is also particularly important. Decision No. 436/QD-TTg dated March 30, 2020, of the Prime Minister (promulgating the Plan for implementing the Vietnamese National Qualifications Framework for higher education levels in the period 2020-2025) assigned the Ministry of Health to lead the development of training program standards for the health sector.

In implementation of the Law on Higher Education and Decision No. 436/QD-TTg, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular No. 17/2021/TT-BGDĐT dated June 22, 2021, regulating the standards for training programs, the development, appraisal, and promulgation of training program standards for all levels of higher education. This circular clearly stipulates that the training program standards for each field and group of fields (such as the Health field/group of fields, which is developed under the leadership of the Ministry of Health) must include not only regulations on entrance standards but also other requirements regarding quality assurance conditions and output standards for each field, group of fields, and training program.

The entry requirements for a training program must clearly define the minimum qualifications, competencies, and experience appropriate to each level, field, and training orientation that learners need to meet in order to successfully study and complete the training program.

When establishing entrance requirements, it is necessary to clearly define the knowledge and competency requirements for students, which may include requirements for knowledge in the subjects included in the admission test combination or the entrance aptitude test.

As can be seen, curriculum standards are very important for specific fields of study;

Developing this standard requires the active participation and effective contributions of stakeholders, including representatives from training institutions, employers, professional associations, and experts in the relevant fields.

It is necessary to refer to and compare training programs with models, standards, or benchmarks from other countries or relevant international organizations; while ensuring the autonomy of training institutions in developing their own training programs.

The current admissions regulations (issued together with Circular No. 08/2022/TT-BGDĐT dated June 6, 2022) of the Ministry of Education and Training clearly stipulate that each admissions method (which the training institution decides to use) must clearly specify the evaluation and selection criteria and how to combine these criteria to classify, rank, and determine the admission requirements for candidates according to the requirements of the training program and major.

The evaluation and selection criteria must be based on the foundational knowledge and core competencies that candidates need to possess to pursue the program and field of study.

Ultimately, the most important factor that all stakeholders are concerned about is the quality of education provided by the schools.

Schools with inappropriate admission methods or excessively low entry requirements will suffer damage to their reputation, brand, and quality of education, and in the long run, students will certainly not choose to study there.

Therefore, it is reaffirmed that the information channels and the predicted long-term consequences will have a positive effect, helping schools to self-adjust and improve.

In the coming period, the Ministry of Education and Training will conduct a comprehensive review of the admission methods of universities and colleges, and if necessary, will require relevant training institutions to report and explain issues of public concern.

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tuyen-sinh-y-khoa-bang-mon-ngu-van-bo-giaoduc-va-dao-tao-len-tieng-post249444.html