Professor Tran Hong Quan

VTC News•25/08/2023

Upon learning of Professor Tran Hong Quan's passing on the afternoon of August 25th, Dr. Le Viet Khuyen, Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges, and his colleagues were shocked and saddened. For them, Professor Tran Hong Quan was not only a highly experienced education administrator but also a passionate teacher who always cared deeply about education and future generations of students.

"Everyone involved in education is saddened and mourns the passing of Professor Tran Hong Quan ," said Dr. Khuyen.

Professor Tran Hong Quan passed away at 1 PM on August 25th in Ho Chi Minh City, at the age of 86.

Speaking about former Minister of Education and Training Tran Hong Quan, Dr. Mai Van Tinh - a former senior expert at the Ministry of Education and Training - once shared with the press that Professor Quan was not aloof, but very approachable to his subordinates, always respecting their opinions and listening to them.

"Having served in higher education for nearly 40 years (1972-2010), and having interacted with six ministers, the one who left the deepest impression on me remains Minister Tran Hong Quan," Dr. Mai Van Tinh confided.

As the first Minister of Education and Training during the reform period, Professor Quan possessed exceptionally keen, decisive, and insightful strategic thinking. He assembled many talented experts to implement the "unleashing" of higher education in line with the reform spirit of the 6th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

For Mr. Tinh, the most unforgettable quote from Professor Quan was , "Only those with knowledge and thoughtful reflection know how to ask questions."

In November 2019, President Vo Van Thuong - then a member of the Politburo , Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, and Head of the Central Propaganda Department - visited and wished Professor Tran Hong Quan good health at his private residence on the occasion of Vietnamese Teachers' Day, November 20th.

Mr. Vo Van Thuong affirmed that the Party and the State have always highly appreciated Professor Tran Hong Quan's contributions to the national education system over the past decades. At each stage and in various positions, Professor Tran Hong Quan consistently showed great concern and made significant contributions to his students and the education sector.

Even after stepping down from his position as Minister of Education and Training and retiring, Professor Tran Hong Quan continued to dedicate himself to promoting the country's education system. Regardless of his position or role, Professor Tran Hong Quan remained very active in contributing to education, participating in organizing numerous seminars and conferences to provide input on policy development for the sector and the teaching staff, and caring for generations of students.

Mr. Vo Van Thuong visited Professor Tran Hong Quan in November 2019.

The man who 'unleashed' higher education.

Before 1987, the only model of education in Vietnam was public universities, established and subsidized by the State. Upon assuming the position of Minister of Higher Education, Vocational Training and Professional Development in 1987, Professor Tran Hong Quan listened to the suggestions of experts and educators and boldly proposed to the then Government the establishment of private universities.

The first pioneering institution to adopt this model was Thang Long Private University. After six years of successful pilot implementation, the government agreed to allow the establishment of other private universities.

Thus, in the field of private education, Professor Tran Hong Quan played a significant role as one of the pioneers and supporters of this model. Even back then, Minister Tran Hong Quan had already defined a vision for the future: when the education and training system developed according to established principles and with fair competition, private schools would thrive, with some serving as model examples in terms of organizational management and training effectiveness in managing, utilizing, and developing human and material resources in education and training.

Furthermore, during his 10 years as Minister of Higher Education, Vocational Training and Professional Development (1987-1990) and Minister of Education and Training (1990-1997), Professor Tran Hong Quan promoted higher education reform, building a solid foundation for the development of Vietnamese higher education in the new era, in accordance with the spirit of the 6th Party Congress in 1986.

Minister Tran Hong Quan has issued many important and systematic documents to guide and implement educational reforms.

Looking back at Professor Tran Hong Quan's career, many experts, scientists, and educators consider him one of the people who helped shape education in general and higher education in particular, helping to free education and truly innovate as it is today.

Professor Tran Hong Quan was born on February 15, 1937, in My Quoi commune, Nga Nam district, Soc Trang province. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam for the 6th, 7th, and 8th terms; and a representative in the National Assembly for the 8th and 10th terms.
Professor Tran Hong Quan dedicated his entire life to working and being involved with the Vietnamese education sector.
1961-1975: He taught at Hanoi University of Technology.
1975-1976: He was the Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology.
1976-1982: He served as the Rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology.
1982-1987: He served as Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Vocational Training.
1987-1990: He became Minister of Higher Education, Vocational Training and Professional Development.
1990 - 1997: He served as Minister of Education and Training.
2005 - 2015: He left his job in a state management agency to become Chairman of the Association of Private Universities and Colleges of Vietnam, and then Chairman of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Vietnam until 2021.
2021 - present: He is the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges.

Ha Cuong

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