Students are still 'blind' about intellectual property

According to experts, currently only a few students truly understand and know how to apply knowledge about intellectual property in the university environment.

Experts share perspectives on the current state of intellectual property understanding in the vocational education system - Photo: TRONG NHAN

On September 26 in Ho Chi Minh City, the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee coordinated with the Academy of Educational Management and Ho Chi Minh City College of Economics to organize a national scientific conference with the theme "Strengthening intellectual property propaganda in the vocational education system in Ho Chi Minh City: Practical solutions associated with digital transformation" .

Intellectual property gap

Presenting a paper at the workshop, Ms. Dang Thi Hien - Ho Chi Minh City College of Culture and Arts - said that through a survey conducted with lecturers and students of the school, only 3-4% of participants said that they really "understand and know how to apply" the concept of intellectual property. This number was assessed by the survey team as extremely low.

In addition, this survey also shows that 50.7% of students and lecturers only stop at the level of "basic understanding", while 37.3% "hear but do not understand clearly". Thus, nearly 9/10 respondents do not have adequate background knowledge.

In addition to lack of awareness, the actual implementation of intellectual property related activities at training institutions is also relatively limited.

Up to 69.3% of respondents said their schools "have never organized" any intellectual property activities; 29.3% only organize them on a small, grassroots level; and less than 2% maintain them regularly.

Meanwhile in Hanoi , Dr. Pham Hoang Tu Linh and Master Nguyen Huy Hoang (Academy of Educational Management) cited a study conducted on nearly 400 managers, lecturers and students at four universities in Hanoi showing that awareness of intellectual property still has many gaps.

Notably, students highly appreciated the role of intellectual property in the country's industrial and cultural development (46.7% chose the highest level), but had limited skills in implementing the Intellectual Property Law. The average score for this skill was only 4.0/5 - the lowest among the survey criteria.

Students’ access to intellectual property information also shows a discrepancy with expectations. Most students learn through the Internet (3.43/5 points), while reading laws, official documents or attending training are rated very low, only around 2.2-2.7/5.

Building IP networks

Also at the workshop, the research team of Associate Professor Dr. Pham Van Thuan and Dr. Nguyen Dang An Long (Ho Chi Minh City College of Economics) analyzed that schools are currently applying four models: integrating intellectual property into specialized subjects; establishing an IP Hub (intellectual property support center) to provide consultation and registration support; organizing competitions/exhibitions of products with intellectual property elements; and linking intellectual property with vocational training.

According to the group of experts, these models help raise awareness and increase practical exposure, but depend on funding, lack standard learning materials and specialized human resources, so they are difficult to sustain.

From international comparisons based on six criteria (program, IP Hub, learning materials, team, incentives, practical application), Associate Professor Dr. Pham Van Thuan and Dr. Nguyen Dang An Long showed that the gap is systematic.

For example, Korea considers intellectual property a compulsory subject and has a national network of intellectual property support centers; Japan integrates intellectual property into STEM and has an intellectual property support center linked to businesses.

Meanwhile, Vietnam does not have a formal curriculum, lacks specialized lecturers, the scholarship and reward mechanism has not been formed, and the commercialization of student products is still very little. In other words, we are only at "ideas - extracurricular activities", while other countries have operated the entire ecosystem.

The authors recommend close coordination between ministries, in which the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Home Affairs play a key role in institutionalizing intellectual property in the vocational education framework: regulating compulsory courses/output standards; standardizing learning materials nationwide; providing periodic training and retraining for lecturers; and allocating regular budgets instead of short-term projects.

In addition, when implementing, the group believes that it is necessary to first build an IP Hub network in each vocational training institution to advise, look up, support copyright registration and connect businesses for commercialization.

Next, it is necessary to include intellectual property in the school's quality assessment criteria, turning "understanding and knowing how to apply intellectual property" into a mandatory measure.

In addition, material incentives should be provided - scholarships, awards for protected inventions/designs/trademarks - to create long-term motivation for students.

Finally, the group emphasized digital transformation as a lever: digitizing learning materials, opening online classes, using visual content such as video clips, songs, simulation software; and integrating intellectual property content into startup courses and business simulation studios.

Once the policy framework is finalized, learning materials and staff are standardized, and the IP Hub is operational, intellectual property will become the core professional competency of learners, instead of a short-term movement activity.

According to MSc. Le Thi Lan Phuong - Head of the Department of Science and Education, Propaganda and Mass Mobilization of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, equipping students with knowledge and skills on intellectual property is the key to building a workforce that is both skilled in their profession and knowledgeable about the law, capable of starting a business and integrating internationally.

She said that intellectual property education in secondary schools and colleges is still lacking in uniformity, without a unified curriculum framework and specialized staff.

Therefore, it is necessary to soon make this content an essential part of the vocational education system, thereby contributing to improving the quality of human resources and promoting innovation.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sinh-vien-con-mu-mo-ve-so-huu-tri-tue-20250926145407575.htm