Tightening training in medicine and law: The need for genuine quality management.

GD&TĐ - Tightening training requirements for medical fields and enforcing laws may help control admissions, but it is not enough to guarantee long-term training quality without a monitoring mechanism.

Amidst the controversy surrounding the policy of tightening the conditions for opening new programs in specialized fields such as Medicine and Law, the Education & Times newspaper interviewed Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huyen, Lawyer and Head of the Law Faculty at Nguyen Tat Thanh University, and former Deputy Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Education and Training .

Therefore, it is necessary to clarify whether tightening the scope of academic programs truly solves the fundamental problem of training quality or merely regulates the input of the higher education system.

- The policy of tightening the conditions for opening new programs in specialized fields such as medicine and law is being widely discussed. Will this measure of tightening program opening address the root cause of training quality, or is it merely a superficial solution if the quality management system is not yet truly complete, Madam?

The tightening of conditions for opening new programs, as currently being discussed, is merely a tool for regulating input.

Establishing academic programs based on quantitative criteria such as faculty, facilities, and laboratories could help curb the proliferation of programs without proper criteria.

However, many training programs, even those that meet standards at the time of being approved to open, may experience a decline in quality over time due to changes in core personnel or reduced investment.

In this context, the Ministry of Education and Training has issued numerous documents amending, supplementing, and adjusting regulations on the conditions for opening new majors. However, if the program accreditation system, quality monitoring mechanisms, and output competency standards are not yet fully and synchronously perfected, tightening the opening of new majors will only address the "symptoms," failing to tackle the underlying bottlenecks in training quality.

Students experience a mock trial at the school. Photo: NTTU.

- Some argue that only medical schools should train doctors, and only law schools should train law graduates. From a university governance perspective, how do you assess the approach of using the school's name to determine its training authority? Does this contradict the principle of university autonomy?

The view that the name determines the right to provide training essentially reflects an administrative management mindset and is incompatible with the modern philosophy of higher education governance.

From a systems design perspective, associating the right to train doctors or law graduates with the designations "Medical School" or "Law School" does not create any guarantee of quality and undermines the capacity for standards-based policymaking.

The core issue of quality doesn't come from the name, but from the conditions under which quality is guaranteed.

If the right to open new majors is based solely on the university's name, it would contradict the principle of academic autonomy, which is fundamental to the Higher Education Law, and could lead to a situation where "name changes" are prioritized over investing in genuine quality.

Students graduating from Nguyen Tat Thanh University. Photo: NTTU.

- The focus should be on quality assurance conditions such as the teaching staff, learning outcomes, practical training conditions, internships, program accreditation, etc. According to you, at Nguyen Tat Thanh University in particular and in the practice of educational management in general, what are the core criteria that any institution wishing to train in the medical and legal fields must meet, regardless of whether it is a specialized school or a multidisciplinary school?

From a systems management perspective, the quality of training needs to be controlled in a substantive and consistent manner, based on fundamental pillars.

This includes an accreditation system for training programs and educational institutions; the professional competence and practical experience of the teaching staff, along with accompanying academic requirements; and the ability to connect with the professional environment, internship opportunities, and related institutions.

In addition, practical training and internship conditions, the learning support ecosystem, and the learning outcomes and professional competency standards must be clearly established and regularly monitored.

These core criteria are independent of whether the educational institution is designated as a "specialized school" or a "multidisciplinary university".

The focus lies on the practical ability to meet the professional standards set by the State, while also fully implementing the quality assurance standards that the training institution itself has announced and committed to.

- Could you share some practical examples from Nguyen Tat Thanh University on how these criteria are implemented?

Based on experience at Nguyen Tat Thanh University and broader observations within the system, it's clear that core standards regarding faculty, practical training and internships, and the learning ecosystem are well-invested.

Regarding the competence of the teaching staff and practical experts, this is the first and most decisive criterion.

Full-time lecturers must meet qualification standards, especially in terms of professional competence, research skills, and practical experience.

An effective model is a "three-tier faculty" structure: full-time faculty, part-time faculty from hospitals or judicial agencies, and high-quality visiting lecturers.

In the medical and pharmaceutical fields, a model of hospital-based lecturers has been implemented, working closely with tertiary hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City to allow clinical doctors to directly participate in teaching.

In the Faculty of Law, many subjects are taught by practicing professionals: litigation lawyers, judges, prosecutors, etc.

This helps learners access the core requirements of the profession accurately and comprehensively.

Health science students during a practical session. Photo: NTTU.

The current faculty of the Faculty of Law consists of educators with extensive practical experience, many of whom have been involved in the profession for over 20 years, thus ensuring the connection between theory and practice in training.

In addition, practical training and internship opportunities are emphasized through the development of a diverse learning ecosystem, ranging from mock court models to a close-knit network of cooperation with prosecuting agencies and legal practice organizations.

Students not only learn in the classroom but also participate in handling real-life cases and situations at courts, prosecutor's offices, and law firms, gradually developing professional skills during their training.

- In many countries such as the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, law and medical programs are offered at multidisciplinary universities and are controlled by quality standards, not by the university's name. What can Vietnam learn from this model to ensure the quality of education while avoiding excessive administrative interference in the autonomy of universities, Madam?

The fact that countries like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia are implementing medical and legal training within multidisciplinary university models demonstrates a consistent principle: the State does not manage schools by name or type, but by quality standards and accreditation mechanisms.

This is an important message for Vietnam in the context of ongoing discussions on tightening regulations in the medical sector and the relevant laws.

From a system governance perspective, Vietnam can learn from this to ensure genuine quality while avoiding excessive administrative interference in autonomy.

The common thread is the need for in-depth investment in quality standards, not just names. Overly strict administrative orders will stifle creativity and the uniqueness of each school.

Applying a management mindset based on designation can easily lead to limitations in the development capacity of multidisciplinary universities, create conflicts with the principle of autonomy, overload the management body, and miss opportunities to develop new training models.

To sustainably improve the quality of medical and legal education, Vietnam needs quality-based governance.

This aligns with international trends, ensures university autonomy, and incentivizes universities to invest in faculty, practice, and accreditation.

Thank you very much, madam.

At the conference summarizing the implementation of the program to strengthen control and improve the quality of law degree training on December 12th, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc emphasized that the issuance of training program standards is a crucial step in improving the quality of legal human resources.

According to Deputy Minister Phuc, the Ministry of Education and Training will issue common standards for all disciplines, with the Law discipline having a higher standard, and will also finalize the system of training program standards to be applied uniformly nationwide.

The Deputy Minister stated that there is a huge societal demand for legal professionals, with a small proportion working in government agencies and the majority in the private sector.

This requires training programs to be substantive, well-structured, and meet the specific demands of the profession.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/siet-dao-tao-nganh-y-luat-can-quan-ly-chat-luong-thuc-chat-post760584.html