From now until 2028, universities must meet the standards of the Ministry of Education, otherwise enrollment may be suspended and they will be dissolved.
The information was stated by Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son at the training conference to implement Circular 01 on standards of higher education institutions, on March 22.
This circular was issued by the Ministry in February with 2 standards to ensure the quality and performance indicators of a university, including: organization and administration, lecturers, teaching and learning conditions, finance, enrollment and training, research and innovation. In each standard, the Ministry provides specific criteria for schools to implement.
Agreeing with the Ministry's criteria, Mr. Le Viet Phuong, Nha Trang University, wondered about sanctions if schools did not meet the requirements.
For example, the circular stipulates that 70% of lecturers must be of working age. Meanwhile, the Ministry's regulations on opening majors require schools to have professors and associate professors. This group has their working age extended by 5 years compared to general regulations. Without them, the field of study may be closed, and if they do, it will be difficult to meet the "working age" standard.
"If there are no sanctions for Circular 01, schools will prioritize ensuring conditions for opening majors and enrolling students," Mr. Phuong acknowledged.
Deputy Minister Hoang Minh Son said that in the coming time, when amending circulars on admission conditions and opening majors, the Ministry will adjust the criteria to be compatible with higher education institution standards.
He added that except for the criteria on land area that will not be applied until 2030, the Ministry requires that by the end of 2025 schools must achieve all indicators and criteria. At this time, it is likely that the Ministry has finished amending Decree 04 on administrative sanctions in the field of education, and there will be sanctions for schools that do not meet standards.
According to the Deputy Minister, education and training facility standards are not only related to enrollment targets and opening majors, but are the basis for the Ministry to arrange and plan the higher education network.
“If schools do not meet the index, they have three years to consolidate and improve. By 2028, if they still fail, schools may stop enrolling students and suspend operations until all students graduate and then dissolve the school. That is the strongest sanction," Mr. Son said.
He cited the example of an international school in Ho Chi Minh City that had financial problems and had to temporarily suspend operations, with many students and families suffering, thereby emphasizing that it is impossible to let a weak university operate normally like this. other schools.
Deputy Minister Hoang Minh Son spoke at the conference, March 22. Image: Le Nguyen
A topic of interest to delegates is the index of lecturer's office space. Mr. Vu Van Yem, Head of Personnel Organization Department, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, said that according to regulations, 70% of full-time lecturers are assigned a workplace at the school, with a minimum of 6 m2 per staff member. But this is a challenge.
Mr. Yem compared university lecturers in Vietnam to singers running shows, only coming to school when they have lessons, finishing teaching and then going home, sometimes not going to school for several weeks. The reason is partly because there is no working space.
A representative of another school suggested reviewing this index because investing in enough offices for all lecturers requires a large amount of space and can be wasteful when many lecturers only come to school when they have teaching hours.
In response, Mr. Son said that outside of class time, lecturers also prepare lectures and discuss with students. Therefore, schools need to invest in working seats for them.
"If there are enough offices but lecturers do not come, schools need to review their management methods," he said.
According to the Deputy Minister, implementing university facility standards is also a way to help schools promote autonomy and increase efficiency in resource management. The Ministry does not issue standards for ranking purposes, but the schools themselves will compare with each other.
Currently, the country has 244 universities and colleges. According to the draft university network planning by 2030, Vietnam will have 30 key universities, entering world rankings, including 5 national universities, 18-20 key industry schools and 5 universities. region.
Le Nguyen
