Quality is not in the label "specialized school"
Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh, former head of the Department of Vocational Education, Ministry of Education and Training , said: "The term "specialized medical school" or "specialized law school" is mainly a way of speaking, even elevated to "traditional prestige", not a legal standard. If we use a label that is not in the law as a basis to prohibit or permit training, in my opinion, we are slipping away from the principle of management by rule of law, which can easily lead to begging and giving, exceptions and negativity."
Commenting on the quality of medical and law training depending on the label "specialized school" or depending on the conditions to ensure quality (program standards, staff, hospitals/practice centers, legal internship facilities, accreditation, etc.), the former head of the Department of Vocational Education , Ministry of Education and Training, commented that quality does not lie in the label "specialized school", but lies in very specific conditions.
"A standard designed program, a team of lecturers with professional practice, a system of hospitals/legal centers for students to practice and independent, serious assessment. A "specialized school" with an outdated program and lack of practice facilities will still produce weak doctors and lawyers. On the contrary, a multidisciplinary school with a properly invested Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Law, associated with hospitals, courts, law firms, etc., can absolutely provide good training. Quality is linked to the internal capacity of each program, not to the sign hanging in front of the gate. Therefore, standardizing the conditions to ensure quality is in accordance with the spirit of Resolution 71-NQ/TW, not according to specialized universities," Dr. Ngoc Vinh explained.
Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh, former Director of the Department of Vocational Education, Ministry of Education and Training
In addition, according to experts, if we ban or tighten the label "non-professional", the obvious consequence is to narrow learning opportunities, creating a monopoly for a few schools; and monopoly often leads to complacency and little pressure for innovation.
While the world trend is interdisciplinary: Medicine combines big data, AI, biotechnology; Law is associated with economics , finance, digital technology. The University of Sydney is a multidisciplinary school, with both the School of Medicine/Faculty of Medicine and Health and the very strong Sydney Law School, still ensuring the development of the Sydney Health Law center connecting law and health. If we tie Medicine and Law to a few "specialized fortresses", we may cut off our ability to keep up with those interdisciplinary trends.
Management by quality standards
Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh believes that we need to turn the story around, instead of "specialized school or not", we need to ask the question from the perspective of "does the university have enough conditions?".
The five core criteria include: First, a team of qualified, experienced lecturers. Second , a network of hospitals, medical facilities, legal centers, and law firms for students to practice long-term.
Third is the condition of facilities. From laboratories, simulations, specialized libraries must be sufficient to meet the requirements. Fourth is the ratio of students/lecturers, the ratio of lecturers who are also in the profession is also a core condition,
Finally , the program is periodically and independently inspected. If all five conditions are met, the program is allowed to open; if not, the program is not allowed to open or the license must be revoked, regardless of whether the school is "specialized" or "non-specialized." That is management by quality standards, not by title, Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh expressed.
Students of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy participate in emergency training at the scene. Photo: UMP
Experts say that the debate has flared up partly because for a long time, the management of the quality of Medicine and Law has been mainly procedural rather than substantive. " First , there was a period when opening majors was quite easy, while inspection and supervision of output was lax, leading to a large difference in quality between facilities. Second , program accreditation in many places has turned into a mechanical "filing of documents to fit the form", lacking in-depth criteria on professional practice, professional ethics and actual capacity of students after graduation. Third , the responsibility between ministries/sectors in ensuring professional standards (Ministry of Education Management, Ministry of Health Management, Justice, Bar Association, professional associations...) has not been clearly designed, so when there is a problem, it is easy to blame it on "banning this school, allowing that school" instead of fundamentally fixing the quality assurance mechanism," Dr. Ngoc Vinh commented.
The current debate, according to Dr. Ngoc Vinh, is a sign that the quality assurance system needs to be "overhauled", not just a matter of changing the school's label. "I want to emphasize that Vietnam should not do anything different from the world, treat the "root" of the disease and soon issue a set of standards for program accreditation for important fields of study such as Medicine, Law and Education, not allowing the current confusion to lead to accreditation experts lacking specialized knowledge and experience to conduct accreditation and workers being like "blind fortune tellers touching an elephant", the expert expressed.
Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/tranh-luan-ve-dao-tao-yluat-can-siet-chat-tieu-chuan-chat-luong-dung-de-thay-boi-mu-so-voi-238251128183746038.htm
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