Expectations of 'breakthrough' from comprehensive autonomy in vocational education

GD&TĐ - Linking autonomy with accountability, expecting a "breakthrough" in the quality of vocational education to serve the country's development.

On the afternoon of September 11, in Bac Ninh, the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission coordinated with the Ministry of Education and Training and Ly Thai To College to organize a workshop on orientation of autonomy and accountability in vocational training institutions in the spirit of Resolution No. 71 (dated August 22, 2025) of the Politburo on breakthroughs in education and training development.

Associate Professor, Dr. Huynh Thanh Dat - Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission; Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Phuc - Deputy Minister of Education and Training; Dr. Truong Anh Dung - Director of the Department of Vocational Education and Continuing Education, Ministry of Education and Training; Le Huy Nam - Director of the Department of Education, Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission; Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tien Dong - Principal of Ly Thai To College attended and chaired the workshop.

Autonomy is the driving force for long-term development

Speaking at the workshop, Associate Professor Dr. Huynh Thanh Dat - Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission, assessed that the workshop was an important event held right after the Politburo issued Resolution No. 71 of the Politburo on breakthrough in education and training development. The Resolution has introduced a new breakthrough point, affirming the full and comprehensive autonomy of educational institutions, regardless of the level of financial autonomy.

Associate Professor, Dr. Huynh Thanh Dat - Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission spoke.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Huynh Thanh Dat, autonomy is not only limited to financial issues, but also reflected in proactively building and implementing training programs, innovating teaching methods, organizing the apparatus, developing staff, expanding international cooperation and closely connecting with businesses and the labor market. He suggested 5 discussion topics, including specific ways to implement Resolution 71 in the field of vocational education; autonomy associated with accountability; how to innovate the governance model of vocational education institutions to shift from "management" to "modern governance", promoting autonomy while maintaining discipline and responsibility...

“The workshop will be a valuable reference source, helping the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training to advise the Politburo and the Secretariat on specific, practical and feasible solutions to quickly bring the spirit of Resolution 71 into life, creating a strong shift for vocational education in our country…” - Associate Professor, Dr. Huynh Thanh Dat believes.

Associate Professor Dr. Huynh Thanh Dat - Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission; Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Phuc - Deputy Minister of Education and Training and the delegation visited the facilities of Ly Thai To College.

At the workshop, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Tien Dong - Principal of Ly Thai To College said that Resolution 71 has put education on par with institutions and infrastructure, becoming one of the three strategic breakthroughs of the country. At the same time, it is a strong affirmation that: education is the key to open the door to development in the new period.

“The workshop is not only an opportunity to thoroughly understand the spirit of these documents, but also an opportunity to discuss, contribute ideas, and find concrete and feasible paths of action to bring those correct directions into real life…”- Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tien Dong shared.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tien Dong - Principal of Ly Thai To College spoke at the conference.

Dr. Truong Anh Dung, Director of the Department of Vocational Education and Continuing Education, Ministry of Education and Training, emphasized that autonomy must always go hand in hand with accountability. When vocational education institutions are given more autonomy, they must also be responsible to the state, learners and society for their performance. Accountability is reflected in the transparency of information, financial reports, training results, effective use of resources, as well as the satisfaction level of learners and businesses.

Dr. Truong Anh Dung - Director of the Department of Vocational Education and Continuing Education, Ministry of Education and Training shared at the workshop.

According to him, autonomy and accountability are not two opposing extremes but two complementary factors, contributing to the construction of a modern, democratic and effective vocational education system. In the context of Vietnam, it is necessary to emphasize the establishment of an independent monitoring mechanism, improve governance capacity and perfect the system of standards and criteria for evaluating the performance of vocational education institutions under autonomous conditions.

Promote comprehensive autonomy

According to Dr. Truong Anh Dung, in order for autonomy to truly become a driving force for development, it is necessary to continue to improve policies in a synchronous, consistent and cohesive manner between the following areas: finance, organizational structure, human resources and expertise. In particular, it is necessary to focus on creating conditions for establishments to promote their internal capacity, improve their management capacity and accountability, thereby proactively adapting to the requirements of the labor market and the context of digital transformation.

“Autonomy is not only an operating mechanism, but also a long-term development motivation, helping vocational education institutions improve their quality, operational efficiency and position in the national education system…”- Dr. Truong Anh Dung said.

Mr. Vu Tri Tien - Vice Principal of Bach Mai Medical College gave a presentation.

From a grassroots perspective, Mr. Vu Tri Tien - Vice Principal of Bach Mai Medical College shared that with the spirit of "not imposing old standards for a modern education" of General Secretary To Lam, the school hopes that all levels will support the school - hospital model, orienting the establishment of Bach Mai University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Mr. Tien proposed to complete the legal framework for the health sector, develop a "dual" team of lecturers - doctors, encourage cooperation between businesses - hospitals - research institutes...

Concluding the workshop, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, assessed that the presentations from managers, experts, and scientists were profound and highly practical for vocational training institutions. The Deputy Minister emphasized that Resolution 71 clearly affirmed the new viewpoint that autonomy must be fully and comprehensively guaranteed, regardless of the financial autonomy of the unit. This opens up a more balanced and comprehensive approach, linking autonomy with accountability, along with the mission of improving the quality of vocational education to serve the country's development.

According to the Deputy Minister of Education and Training, autonomy in vocational education needs to continue to improve mechanisms and strengthen capacity to go into depth and sustainability. At the same time, he emphasized the role of the State in "creating and ensuring", through ordering, assigning tasks, and providing basic funding for vocational education institutions to carry out their mission of serving the public. In addition, international experience shows that the level of autonomy in vocational education is very diverse, from the model of strict State control to the model of complete independence, but the general trend is to shift from "control" to "supervision", expanding the authority of the institution along with a strict accountability mechanism.

“The lesson for Vietnam is to complete a clear legal framework, decentralize power in accordance with grassroots capacity, and at the same time link autonomy with accountability and transparency in finance, quality and social efficiency…”- said the Deputy Minister.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, delivered a concluding speech at the conference.

Regarding solutions to promote comprehensive autonomy, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc suggested perfecting the legal framework on autonomy and accountability to ensure consistency, clarity and feasibility. At the same time, classifying autonomy and balancing the three pillars of autonomy: finance - human resources - expertise, ensuring harmony and no bias, for real and sustainable autonomy.

In addition, develop an accountability and monitoring system: strengthen independent quality assessment; require transparency of information on finance, training quality, and employment rates after graduation. At the same time, improve the management capacity of vocational training institutions: promote training of managers; apply digital technology in administration, manage big data to serve transparency and decision-making.

The Deputy Minister of Education and Training encouraged businesses and professional associations to participate in program development, training organization, evaluation of results and sharing responsibility for output quality. "With the attention and direction of the Party and Government, the efforts of vocational training institutions and the support of businesses and society, we will gradually realize the goal: building an open - flexible - modern - integrated vocational education system, contributing to the development of high-quality human resources for the country..." - The Deputy Minister believes.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/ky-vong-but-pha-tu-tu-chu-toan-dien-giao-duc-nghe-nghiep-post748040.html