Abolishing the university council: The council of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City holds its final meeting.

The Council of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City held its final meeting before ceasing operations in accordance with the policy of phasing out university councils in public educational institutions.

Overview of the 26th session of the 4th term of the Council of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.

Photo: VNU-HCM

The final meeting of the Council of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.

The Council of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) recently held its 26th final meeting of the 4th term on December 13th. The meeting aimed to evaluate the results of activities in 2025 and consider strategic directions for the next development phase, given the eventual cessation of council activities in public educational institutions.

By 2025, the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City had implemented a comprehensive set of policies to innovate and reorganize its structure towards a streamlined, effective, and efficient model, thereby perfecting a modern university governance model and creating a foundation for innovation and scientific and technological development.

At the meeting, Council members focused on reviewing the Development Strategy for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2045, and the Action Program for the period 2026-2030, emphasizing the need to adjust targets and indicators to align with new central government policies. Opinions focused on strategic technology development orientations, enhancing research capacity, increasing the quantity and quality of international scientific publications, and addressing difficulties in attracting postgraduate students due to limitations in training cost support mechanisms.

In addition, the Council also discussed promoting the commercialization of research results, ensuring a balanced and stable financial resource allocation for strategic programs, as well as the necessity of researching and establishing appropriate institutions in the new phase to continue effectively leveraging the intellectual strength of the entire system. The 26th session of the 4th term also agreed on many important issues, forming the basis for implementing programs and plans for the development of this university in the coming period.

Proposal to establish an advisory council.

During the meeting, Associate Professor Vu Hai Quan, Permanent Deputy Minister of Science and Technology , former Director and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, stated that every organization has certain strengths and limitations, and the model of the Board of Directors of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City is no exception. However, Associate Professor Quan affirmed that the Board has played a very important advisory role to the Board of Directors, especially in consulting and providing feedback on policies.

Based on this experience, Associate Professor Vu Hai Quan believes that, according to policy, the Council model is no longer functional. However, the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City needs to research the establishment of an advisory council to continue to promote its existing role. In addition, Professor Quan emphasized that proactively preparing personnel for the new term is crucial and a key factor in ensuring the sustainable development of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City in the future.

The Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) was established on January 27, 1995, according to Government Decree 16/CP, based on the reorganization of 9 universities into 8 member universities, and officially launched on February 6, 1996. In 2001, VNU-HCM was reorganized according to Decision No. 15/2001/QD-TTg dated February 12, 2001, of the Prime Minister , and has its own organizational and operational regulations.

In July of this year, the Government issued a Decree stipulating the functions, tasks, and powers of national universities. National universities are public higher education institutions managed by the Ministry of Education and Training, possessing legal personality, their own bank accounts, and using seals bearing the national emblem.

The Council of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City will no longer operate in accordance with the policy of abolishing school councils in public higher education institutions as stipulated in the amended Higher Education Law.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bo-hoi-dong-truong-hoi-dong-dh-quoc-gia-tphcm-hop-ky-cuoi-cung-185251215115551315.htm