Professor points out weaknesses in Vietnam’s higher education
14:52, 2014/08/08
Professor Ngo Bao Chau recently brought attention to several weak points in Vietnam’s higher education system, including substandard teaching staff and bad faculty recruitment policies.
“The general quality of universities nationwide may be the brightest point in the overview of education in Vietnam,” the 2010 Fields Medals winner commented.
According to him, scientific research and assessment meetings show that the quality of university-level research and teaching staff is substandard.
Worse still, the methods being used in an attempt to recruit and improve staff at universities in Vietnam is not in line with those used in most of the rest of the world. He said that if this is not fixed soon, Vietnamese universities would quickly lag behind those of other regional countries.
“Low payment is the biggest obstacle to the development of quality teaching staffs. It would also discourage more research,” he emphasised.
In Vietnam, payment for researchers and lecturers at universities is based on the minimum salary policies for state officers. The salaries of young teachers are very low, discouraging them from doing anything more than what is required.
He noted that, with the current low pay, many lecturers find it difficult to sustain a middle-class standard of living, which he says is necessary for a standard education system, as it demonstrates how much value the country places on education. Those who are able to carry out scientific research must be freed up from daily tasks.
Currently, several universities in Vietnam prioritise recruiting their own graduates as lecturers, which does not make for a healthy competitive environment.
“While universities elsewhere in the world prioritise teachers’ research capacity, the process in Vietnam seems to be heavily administrative,” he assessed.
He proposed that the government work out a clear and comprehensive process of teacher recruitment and improvement for all universities nationwide.
Any decisions by the recruitment council should be made public, he said, adding that, while lecturers should be able to compensate their incomes, lecturing should be their main focus.
Worse still, the methods being used in an attempt to recruit and improve staff at universities in Vietnam is not in line with those used in most of the rest of the world. He said that if this is not fixed soon, Vietnamese universities would quickly lag behind those of other regional countries.
“Low payment is the biggest obstacle to the development of quality teaching staffs. It would also discourage more research,” he emphasised.
In Vietnam, payment for researchers and lecturers at universities is based on the minimum salary policies for state officers. The salaries of young teachers are very low, discouraging them from doing anything more than what is required.
He noted that, with the current low pay, many lecturers find it difficult to sustain a middle-class standard of living, which he says is necessary for a standard education system, as it demonstrates how much value the country places on education. Those who are able to carry out scientific research must be freed up from daily tasks.
Currently, several universities in Vietnam prioritise recruiting their own graduates as lecturers, which does not make for a healthy competitive environment.
“While universities elsewhere in the world prioritise teachers’ research capacity, the process in Vietnam seems to be heavily administrative,” he assessed.
He proposed that the government work out a clear and comprehensive process of teacher recruitment and improvement for all universities nationwide.
Any decisions by the recruitment council should be made public, he said, adding that, while lecturers should be able to compensate their incomes, lecturing should be their main focus.
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