Restructuring public universities: Clarifying criteria

GD&TĐ - In the restructuring process, determining criteria for merging universities is a key factor.

Appropriate criteria not only help optimize resources but also ensure connectivity, specialization and sustainable development.

"The story of the bundle of chopsticks"

Nghe An University was established on the basis of merging Nghe An Pedagogical College into Nghe An University of Economics and changed its name according to Decision No. 1653/QD-TTg dated December 26, 2024.

Dr. Nguyen Dinh Tuong - Party Secretary, Chairman of the School Board - said that each merger phase has its own characteristics, but the important thing is to clearly define the criteria from the beginning to ensure effectiveness and sustainability.

“Geographical location is the decisive factor, followed by the training industry or group of industries. These two criteria make the organization and management after the merger more convenient, and at the same time create a foundation for schools to promote their own strengths, avoiding overlap and dispersion,” Mr. Tuong stated his opinion.

From practical experience, Mr. Tuong said that Nghe An University was formed on the basis of merging two training institutions with completely different fields: one side belongs to the pedagogical sector, the other side focuses on economics and technology. The difference in scale, industry structure and management methods once caused a lot of confusion during the merger process. However, after the merger, the school has expanded the scale of training, created connectivity between levels of education, and diversified the industries.

"Merger helps to take advantage of resources, create a richer training environment and better suit social needs," Mr. Tuong commented, admitting that if individual training facilities are still maintained, it will be difficult to develop further.

Before the merger, Nghe An University of Economics only had about 140 staff and lecturers - equivalent to 1-2 faculties of a large university. In fact, this merger model has shown clear effectiveness. Not only has it expanded the scope of training, the school has also built a team of competent lecturers, formed strong interdisciplinary research groups, meeting the requirements of innovation in current higher education .

Discussing the policy of merging higher education institutions in the coming time, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Tuong commented that this merger is more specific than the previous period. The goal is not only to streamline the system but also to improve training capacity, input quality and resource efficiency.

According to Mr. Tuong, the criteria for the upcoming merger have many new points. Besides the scale factor, geographical location and industry group structure are considered two key criteria. “In the same area, if there are many schools training in the same profession, it will lead to competition and dispersion of resources. When merging, the teaching staff will be gathered, investment in facilities will be concentrated, thereby forming strong research groups and improving training quality,” he analyzed.

Leaders and experts of Tra Vinh University visit the Technology Engineering Laboratory. Photo: Q. Ngu

Internal restructuring

With the largest scale in the Mekong Delta, Can Tho University officially became Can Tho University according to Decision No. 1531 dated July 15, 2025 of the Prime Minister. On August 1, Can Tho University announced the Resolution on the establishment, merger, consolidation and reorganization of affiliated units.

According to the school leaders, this is a policy to meet the development requirements in line with the new situation, demonstrating strong determination and strategic vision in building a multi-disciplinary, multi-field university model; flexible, effective, in the direction of autonomy and international integration. This is also an important premise to help Can Tho University improve the effectiveness of management and operation, ensuring unity and synchronization in implementing the development strategy in the coming period.

After the merger, Vinh Long province now has 6 higher education institutions, ranking second in the Mekong Delta in terms of training scale. According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Minh Hoa - Rector of Tra Vinh University, Vinh Long is a province with a large natural area and large population. The birth of a new administrative-economic entity is assessed by economic experts to create a "potential coastal development space", opening up unprecedented opportunities.

However, to realize the vision and maximize the overall strengths, the key factor is not resources or investment capital, but people. Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Minh Hoa said that the Mekong Delta has an abundant labor force but is facing many challenges in quality and structure. The rate of trained labor in the region is only 14.9%, of which the rate with university degrees or higher is only 6.8% - the lowest level in the country.

The University of Science and Technology (University of Danang) signed a cooperation agreement with members of the network of Excellent Training Centers on AI and Semiconductor Technology in the Central region. Photo: PV

“With the presence of 6 higher education institutions, ranking second in the region in terms of training scale, Vinh Long province has a special advantage to effectively implement this strategic breakthrough,” Mr. Hoa emphasized and recommended that, from the existing advantages and scale, the province needs to build a comprehensive, breakthrough strategy, going beyond the previous individual, unsynchronized solutions, to provide human resources for the province's key economic sectors in the 2025-2030 term and the following stages.

According to Mr. Hoa, Tra Vinh University and other schools are fully capable and have prepared many synchronous solutions to train human resources in line with social and business needs, meeting the demand for high-quality human resources for the province and the region.

“Restructuring the higher education system requires leveraging available resources, improving quality and competitiveness. The merger will also promote autonomy and responsibility. The general spirit of the merger is not 'mechanical merging' but strategic restructuring to form strong, interdisciplinary, autonomous, and highly accountable universities. The ultimate goal is not just a temporary solution, but a driving force to put Vietnamese universities on the path of sustainable development, integration, and global competitiveness,” Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Minh Hoa shared.

To meet the requirements of planning the network of higher education institutions, according to the viewpoint of Associate Professor, Dr. Luong Minh Cu - Party Secretary, Principal of Cuu Long University - higher education institutions need to prepare for a new step of development with a strategic vision.

In particular, the construction of a new university education system must be synchronized with the existing network; focus on preparing a team of high-quality lecturers and suitable facilities to train human resources for key industries; at the same time, solutions are needed to attract organizations and businesses to invest in facilities and support training programs.

Students of the University of Economics (University of Danang) participated in the International Scientific Conference of Students doing scientific research at universities in the field of economics and business 2025. Photo: NTCC

3 pillars of a strong university

Prof. Dr. Tran Van Nam - former Director of Danang University, commented: "Currently, the Vietnamese university system has a large number of universities but the scale and quality are not uniform. Many schools are still limited in finance, human resources, facilities, and scientific research activities are not strong.

Therefore, the arrangement and restructuring of higher education institutions is an inevitable requirement to concentrate resources, improve the quality and reputation of the entire system. However, for the merger process to be effective, the most important thing is to have a set of clear and transparent criteria.

According to the proposal of Prof. Dr. Tran Van Nam, it is possible to base on 6 criteria in Circular 01/2024 of the Ministry of Education and Training regulating the standards of higher education institutions to build merger criteria. These are: organization and administration; lecturers; facilities; finance; enrollment and training; research and innovation. These are the fundamental factors to evaluate the level of response of each school, thereby building a merger plan in a scientific and objective manner.

The former Director of Danang University emphasized that the goal of the university merger process is not only to reduce the number of management units, but must also aim to strengthen three core pillars: training high-quality human resources, scientific research and community service. Only then can strong universities be formed that are competitive in the region and internationally.

Sharing the same view, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Tuong said that merging universities should not only aim at large scale, but also consider the factor of fairness in admission. “Large schools should not set entrance criteria too high, causing candidates with difficult circumstances to lose the opportunity to study. Besides the function of training and research, universities also have the duty to serve the community, opening the door of knowledge to all learners,” said Mr. Tuong.

When units are properly reorganized, the education sector will not only form highly competitive training and research centers but also ensure its social mission, creating access to higher education for everyone, in all regions.

The merger process will certainly encounter difficulties, especially in the organization and personnel. Therefore, the key factor is to choose a leadership team with vision, prestige and management capacity, who can reconcile interests and common development orientation. - Prof. Dr. Tran Van Nam

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/tai-cau-truc-truong-dai-hoc-cong-lap-lam-ro-tieu-chi-post753944.html