Clarifying the issue of autonomy and responsibility in state management.
The draft Law on Higher Education (amended) contains many new points, reflecting a breakthrough spirit regarding autonomy, digital transformation, and international integration. In the context of integration and development, the Law needs to optimize and facilitate higher education institutions while simultaneously controlling the quality of training. In particular, over the years, the policy of university autonomy has opened up significant opportunities for universities in developing training programs, organizing teaching, student recruitment, and collaborative training…
According to the draft Law on Higher Education (amended), the Minister of Education and Training shall approve undergraduate, master's, and doctoral training programs in teacher training and health fields in coordination with the Ministry of Health, and in law fields in coordination with the Ministry of Justice. The Minister of Health shall approve and organize the implementation of postgraduate advanced training programs in health fields leading to residency and specialist doctor degrees.
According to administrators and faculty, the draft clarifies the boundary between autonomy and state management responsibility. Accordingly, higher education institutions will still proactively develop training programs, but approval will be determined based on the nature and extent of each field's impact on society.
Associate Professor Phan Trung Hien - Head of the Faculty of Law (Can Tho University) believes that some regulations in the Draft Law on Higher Education (amended) are not about "tightening autonomy," but rather about establishing a safety framework for quality.
"Allowing each school to make complete decisions regarding specialized fields could lead to deviations in training standards, with long-term impacts on society, from the quality of general education and the competence of the medical workforce to the standards in the legal field."
"In reality, even within the same teaching profession, training programs at different schools show significant differences in structure, practical workload, and pedagogical content. The same is true in medical or legal training. When the output is uneven, the consequences are not limited to individual training institutions but spread throughout society," Associate Professor Phan Trung Hien emphasized.
Program control, student protection.
One new point of interest to many universities in the draft Law on Higher Education (amended) is the clear definition of approval authority, thereby assigning ultimate responsibility to state management agencies regarding output standards.
According to education experts, the Minister's approval of training programs does not mean the Ministry is "writing the curriculum for the schools," but rather exercising control at the policy and standards level. Training institutions remain the entities responsible for developing the curriculum, but must base it on core standards that have been validated.
The key point is protecting the students. A student studying health or law, in addition to their own efforts, depends heavily on the program and the teaching staff of the school…
According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Sang, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at Kien Giang University: In recent years, the opening of teacher training programs (Early Childhood Education in 2024, English Language Teaching in 2025) has required approval from the Ministry of Education and Training, while other programs are decided by the University Council, which is also accountable for their implementation.
To be approved by the Ministry of Education and Training, the school must prepare a complete project proposal, training program (including an external evaluation council consisting of professors and doctors), and a contract with the employer to ensure job placement for students.
According to Master's degree holder Nguyen Thanh Sang, for key sectors such as teacher training, having the Ministry approve the training programs will help to provide a more comprehensive assessment of the basic capacity; thereby, controlling quality, preventing mass production, and ensuring the quality of graduates.
“In particular, for the Teacher Training program, Kien Giang University is implementing policies that benefit students. All students are exempt from tuition fees and receive a monthly allowance of over 3 million VND. Teacher training students are also allocated enrollment quotas by the Ministry, and upon graduation, they must commit to serving the education sector. Therefore, tightening the training process to ensure the quality of graduates is extremely necessary,” commented Master Nguyen Thanh Sang.
Lawyer Tran Cong Tu from the Can Tho City Bar Association added that the assessment from the Ministry of Education and Training is not meant to "tie the hands" of schools, but rather to force training institutions to seriously invest in programs, staff, and facilities, instead of being lax in opening new majors to increase enrollment.
“The core issue that the Draft Law on Higher Education (amended) aims at is the concept of controlled autonomy. Autonomy is no longer an absolute right, but a responsibility linked to standards and commitments to quality. For many universities, the Ministry of Education and Training retaining the right to approve specialized programs helps create the 'backbone' of the system; while other disciplines still promote flexibility and creativity to closely follow the needs of the labor market,” Lawyer Tú shared.
In addition to program approval issues, universities also highly appreciate the fact that the Draft Law on Higher Education (amended) continues to improve regulations related to quality accreditation, public disclosure of training information, and tighten accountability. These are the pillars for building a transparent, effective, and sustainable higher education system.
Associate Professor Phan Trung Hien supports the draft Law on Higher Education (amended). However, he also believes that this is not a matter of multi-disciplinary universities having to eliminate departments related to education, health, law, etc.
"It must be understood that these training programs must meet the prescribed quality standards and criteria. Only then can we eliminate training institutions that do not meet these criteria and standards. Content determines form, not form determines content," said Associate Professor Phan Trung Hien.
Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/phe-duyet-chuong-trinh-dao-tao-dai-hoc-thiet-lap-khung-an-toan-cho-chat-luong-post759956.html
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