Resolution 71-NQ/TW: Breakthrough actions are needed to realize the goal

Achievable goals

MSc. Bui Khanh Nguyen - an independent education expert in Ho Chi Minh City - shared that the goals set in Resolution 71/NQ-TW of the Politburo such as "by 2035, there will be at least 2 higher education institutions in the top 100 universities in the world in a number of fields according to prestigious international rankings" or "by 2045, at least 5 higher education institutions in the top 100 universities in the world in a number of fields according to prestigious international rankings" are completely reasonable.

First of all, some organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)... have given positive forecasts about the prospect of Vietnam becoming an economy in the top 20 countries in the world in terms of GDP size by 2045, based on current factors.

Therefore, it is reasonable for us to set the goal of "Vietnam having a modern, equitable and high-quality national education system, ranking among the top 20 countries in the world" by 2045.

“With a developed economy reaching a GDP of about 2,000 - 2,500 billion USD (4-5 times higher than today) and an average income per capita of approximately 20,000 USD/year (higher than Malaysia today) by 2045, Vietnam will certainly have huge resources to invest in education development, especially building research universities in the world's top 100 on rankings such as THE, ARWU, QS - compared to the current ranking of about 1,000 of the top 5 universities in Vietnam", Mr. Bui Khanh Nguyen analyzed.

Need specific action plan

However, according to Master Bui Khanh Nguyen, goals are important but need to be accompanied by a specific action plan. Goals show what we want, but a specific action plan will specify how to do it, and at the same time clearly demonstrate commitment to realizing the goals. Commitment is an extremely important factor in achieving the set goals.

For example, while striving to have higher education institutions in the world's top 100, we also need to commit corresponding resources to building excellent research universities, and at the same time answer strategic questions: Will we invest in existing universities, or reorganize some top universities, or build completely new universities? There are countless successful and failed models in the US, countries in the Middle East, Korea, Singapore, China... that we can refer to in order to choose the right direction for ourselves.

This is not new. Over the past two decades, we have had the dream of building world-class higher education institutions in Vietnam, but so far we have not achieved that goal.

It is also important to note that while we strive to break into the top 100, universities in other countries are not standing still. That is, in this race, we must double our efforts: both to surpass ourselves and to avoid falling behind other universities and countries.

Students of Health Sciences, Hong Bang International University during practice hours.

According to Mr. Bui Khanh Nguyen, in order for higher education institutions to quickly advance in international rankings, it is certain that they must invest large resources. However, the investment must be based on the capacity and achievements that universities demonstrate through specific figures.

Therefore, we should not specify which universities will receive investment to become top 100 universities, but should set clear criteria for some major universities to register to participate. When receiving budget support, schools must commit to completing specific indicators (KPIs) in each stage.

"An economy in the top 20 in the world in terms of scale by 2045 will also require a workforce and brainpower that is commensurate in both quantity and quality. It will be difficult to expect the international student force to meet this demand, because we need millions of university graduates. Therefore, investing in building leading domestic higher education institutions, in addition to increasing the number of international students, is a very welcome action," emphasized Master Bui Khanh Nguyen.

In addition, this expert also proposed establishing a "National Education Fund" so that all citizens and philanthropists can freely contribute to the Fund to realize educational goals such as modernizing a number of universities to become top 100 - 200 universities in the world.

"Or, we can build a mechanism for universities to receive large grants (from 1 million USD) or more to develop important faculties and majors; allow philanthropists to sponsor the construction of modern lecture halls, laboratories, and dormitories," he proposed.

The above actions can help rapidly upgrade domestic universities, increasing their competitiveness with global universities.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/nghi-quyet-71-nqtw-can-dot-pha-hanh-dong-de-hien-thuc-hoa-muc-tieu-post747445.html