In a recent workshop, Ho Chi Minh City National University said that the process and standards for recognizing and appointing professors and associate professors currently have many shortcomings and need to be adjusted to be transparent and in line with international practices. The process through many council levels is currently duplicated, prolonging time and increasing procedures for candidates.

This university recommends that a number of key universities be allowed to pilot self-examining and appointing the title of Professor and Associate Professor for 3 years with a common set of standards issued by the Prime Minister (or issued by the Minister of Education and Training according to the draft revised Law on Higher Education ). For talented scientists, especially those returning from abroad, the recognition mechanism needs to be flexible.

In fact, 10 years ago, Ton Duc Thang University self-examined and awarded professors according to its own set of standards. The “going it alone” approach of Ton Duc Thang University at that time met with many conflicting opinions. Some people opposed it, others agreed and believed that breakthrough activities were needed to pave the way.

Information technology.jpg
Appointment of professor at the University of Information Technology (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City). Photo: UIT

At that time, Ton Duc Thang University determined that Associate Professor and Professor were professional positions, not titles or honors. The titles of Associate Professor and Professor appointed by Ton Duc Thang University always went with the name of the school, closely linked to the work of the school. Those appointed who did not properly perform their duties as committed to the school would be dismissed.

The proposal of Ho Chi Minh City National University has a remarkable new point: universities will self-examine and confer professorship according to a set of common standards issued by the Prime Minister (or issued by the Minister of Education and Training according to the draft revised Law on Higher Education).

Do it seriously, with close supervision, avoid mass outbreaks.

Associate Professor Nguyen Xuan Hoan, Principal of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade, said that universities that meet the standards can self-examine and confer the title of Professor and Associate Professor instead of having to wait for the State-level council. This examination and conferment of professorship is based on a set of standards issued by the Government or the Ministry of Education and Training.

“I support it for many reasons, the most important of which is that the review board from the base to the school council and the industry council is very important. If a university meets the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Training, it should set up a board to review and award professorships. This is in line with international practice, because in foreign universities, professors and associate professors belong to the school. Thus, only that school can clearly understand the capacity, work process and contributions of the lecturer. Such a review and award will be more realistic and objective,” said Mr. Hoan.

According to Mr. Hoan, in many countries, the title of professor is associated with the prestige of the university, not of a general council.

“Any school that is prestigious and has a strong team will have professors and associate professors recognized by society. There is no reason to let other schools consider, which can easily lead to localism or suppression of each other's candidates,” Mr. Hoan said, adding that schools should consider which positions need professors and which positions need associate professors. The appointment and salary payment are the school's responsibility, so the school will decide on its own to consider and confer professorships, but must meet the conditions for establishing a council according to the regulations of the Government and the Ministry of Education and Training. Mr. Hoan suggested that there should be clear regulations to ensure quality, for example, if a school wants to establish a basic professor council, it must have at least 5-7 professors or more.

“Schools that do not meet the requirements should send their applications elsewhere. If done correctly, this is a positive policy, helping candidates avoid having to travel far, reducing costs and hassles, not to mention avoiding negativity,” Associate Professor Hoan emphasized.

Professor Tran Diep Tuan, Chairman of the Council of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City, supports the granting of autonomy to key universities and prestigious training institutions in considering and recognizing the titles of Professor and Associate Professor. However, he emphasized the need for clear regulations and standards to ensure transparency and fairness.

According to him, the self-awarding of the title of Professor or Associate Professor will be associated with the prestige and brand of each school. On the other hand, schools also need to be careful in the appointment process because this is related to the remuneration regime and affects the financial policy of the school. In addition, the title of Professor or Associate Professor also directly affects the autonomy, especially in determining enrollment targets.

Therefore, the granting of self-awarding rights needs to be carried out seriously, transparently and closely monitored, avoiding the situation of massive awarding and chasing after quantity in order to maintain academic prestige and sustainability in university governance.

Associate Professor Nguyen Xuan Hoan said that to avoid the situation of “title confusion” and “title chasing”, public universities that meet the standards should be allowed to pilot the examination and award of professorships. For private universities, if the Ministry of Education and Training sets high standards like the present, it will be difficult to meet them. However, if any school meets the standards and has the potential, it can still be allowed to pilot the program.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/de-xuat-dai-hoc-phong-giao-su-lam-sao-de-tranh-loan-danh-xung-chay-danh-hieu-2457551.html