By 2026 there will be no more school boards in public universities.

A notable point of the draft Law on University Education (amended) announced by the Ministry of Education and Training on October 10 is the proposal not to establish school councils in public institutions.

On the afternoon of October 10, the Ministry of Education and Training held a discussion to contribute ideas to complete the draft law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Education and the Law on University Education (amended). According to the drafting committee, the draft revised Law on University Education is expected to be passed on January 1, 2026. Once passed, the provisions will take effect, including a new point about the cessation of school council activities in public universities.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Chi Ngon, Vice Chairman of the Council of Can Tho University, expressed his opinion at the discussion.

PHOTO: HA ANH

PROPOSAL FOR BUDGET ALLOCATION ACCORDING TO QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tien Thao, Director of the Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Education and Training), presented the latest points of the draft Law on Higher Education (amended). Accordingly, the draft law consists of 46 articles and 9 chapters with 6 major policy groups approved by the Government in Resolution 191/NQ-CP, including: university education activities; organization and operation of higher education institutions; State responsibilities; quality assurance and international integration mechanisms; staff development; financial mechanisms and conditions for ensuring higher education.

Professor Nguyen Tien Thao noted a notable point that the draft proposes not to establish a school council in public institutions, while promoting the comprehensive leadership role of the Party organization in strategic planning, personnel work and resource allocation. Notably, the draft also proposes to allocate the budget according to quality and operational efficiency; mobilize social resources for research and innovation; supplement tuition policies and financial support to ensure fairness in access to university education; perfect foreign cooperation and investment policies, etc.

According to the draft, the basic organizational structure of a university includes: director, vice director of the university and equivalent; principal, vice principal of the university and equivalent. Meanwhile, the draft still retains the school council of private universities and universities established under agreements between the Vietnamese Government and foreign governments or under international treaties. Thus, public universities no longer have school councils as currently regulated.

Representatives of many universities also expressed their opinions on the draft revised Law on Higher Education that has just been published in its latest version. Associate Professor Dr. Bui Anh Thuy, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Van Lang University, acknowledged that the draft has incorporated many opinions previously contributed by experts. In particular, Associate Professor Thuy said that Article 5 of the draft on the State's policy on education development has new and very positive points. Here, it can be seen that the State's policy is not only for training institutions and lecturers but also for learners. In particular, if this policy is applied to the entire university education system, it can be understood that private university training institutions will also benefit.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Chi Ngon, Vice Chairman of the University Council of Can Tho University, said that the draft regulation on the organizational structure of university education institutions is stipulated in the regulations on organization and operation of university education institutions issued by the university director and university principal according to regulations. Saying so, it can be understood that the work of the university council is being transferred to the director/principal. "In my opinion, this work should be assigned to the Party Committee, partly to reduce the workload for the director/principal, and partly to avoid the situation of "beating the drum and blowing the whistle at the same time" which is not objective," Associate Professor Ngon said.

Prime Minister appoints director of national university

Regarding the organizational structure, Article 16 of the draft states that the university director, university principal and equivalent are the legal representatives of the university, responsible for managing and operating the institution's activities according to the provisions of law and the regulations on organization and operation of the institution. The Prime Minister appoints the director of the national university; the direct management agency appoints the principal and vice principal of public universities. The university council appoints the principal and vice principal of private universities; in the case of establishment under an agreement between the Vietnamese Government and a foreign government, it is implemented according to the agreement between the parties.

N MANY CONCERNS ABOUT CONCEPTS RELATED TO TEACHERS

Some opinions expressed concerns about the regulations related to teachers in the draft Education Law and the Law on University Education (amended). Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Anh Thuy said that in reality, the concept of retired people has changed compared to before. Most recently, with the regulation allowing early retirement, some people retire but are still young, some people retire but still have 7-8 years to retire. Meanwhile, this issue is closely related to many regulations, so the Ministry needs to pay attention, for example, the conditions for retirees to participate in university activities, to open/maintain training majors.

The latest points of the draft Law on University Education (amended) were announced in a discussion held yesterday afternoon at Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City.

Photo: Ha Anh

According to the draft Law on Education, a joint-tenure teacher is an official of a public science and technology organization assigned to teach and educate as a full-time lecturer at a public educational institution. Full-time teachers must comply with the provisions of the Law on Teachers. In addition, the draft Law on University Education stipulates that university lecturers include full-time lecturers, joint-tenure lecturers, full-time contract lecturers after retirement, and guest lecturers.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Chi Ngon expressed concerns about co-teachers. Mr. Ngon said: "This is a breakthrough and new concept, but I am worried that in the future there will be "competition" to open majors and enrollment quotas." Mr. Ngon gave the example of lecturers teaching at both schools A and B, but most of them teach at school B. When opening majors, which school will they belong to? These things need to be clarified.

Regarding the issue of teachers, Dr. Thai Thi Tuyet Dung, Deputy Head of the Inspection and Legal Affairs Department (Ho Chi Minh City National University), is concerned about the concept of permanent teachers because this is very related to enrollment targets. According to Dr. Dung, currently many teachers have contracts with schools but do not work full-time, do not pay social insurance at all, and are not employees of the school. This leads to a situation where schools have very high quotas but permanent lecturers have very low quotas. Proposing a way to have real enrollment targets, Dr. Dung commented: "To be identified as permanent teachers, the university must pay social insurance. This is a prerequisite to determine where that person is working. When paying social insurance, they must work full-time."

Any amendments must be aimed at removing practical difficulties.

Speaking at the seminar, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc said that the Ministry was assigned by the National Assembly Standing Committee to preside over the drafting of the two above-mentioned draft laws to be submitted to the National Assembly for approval at the October 2025 session. During the drafting process, the Ministry has closely coordinated with ministries, branches and localities; organized many seminars and workshops, collected opinions from experts, scientists and education managers nationwide, ensuring proper implementation of the procedures of the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents.

In particular, on August 22, 2025, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in education and training development - a document of strategic significance, demonstrating the determination to strongly innovate thinking and institutions, and modernize Vietnam's education system. On that basis, the Ministry of Education and Training has reviewed and completed two draft laws to fully institutionalize the spirit of the Resolution, creating a legal corridor to promote comprehensive development of education and training.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Phuc paid special attention to transitional regulations, such as the termination of school council activities and the validity of documents previously issued by the council. Detailed instructions are needed for schools to operate smoothly when the law comes into effect. Other issues such as the distinction between training facilities and branches, regulations on schools within universities, departments, or conditions to ensure training quality at many locations will also continue to be carefully considered.

"Any amendments must aim to remove practical difficulties, not create new barriers," Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Phuc noted.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nam-2026-se-khong-con-hoi-dong-truong-trong-co-so-dh-cong-lap-185251010230054755.htm