Mr. Trần Đức Cảnh, why is there a study result that shows the productivity of 17 Vietnamese people is equal to that of 1 Singaporean?
If we compare the labor productivity between an individual Vietnamese person and a Singaporean or someone from another country, it would be quite unreasonable. The reason is that our hard and soft systems have many issues, leading to inefficiencies. For example, customs procedures in Vietnam for import-export take significantly longer than in Singapore; poor transportation infrastructure affects the cost of products, not to mention other negative societal issues that could impact the overall labor productivity level.

Mr. Trần Đức Cảnh, a member of the advisory board of the National Council for Education and Human Resource Development.

Given the global development demands, our country, aiming for integration, must achieve a common point, which is education parity. How can our children integrate when they need to study and work abroad? And even within the country, how can we attract foreign investment with a weak workforce?
We know that you are also part of the group contributing opinions on this education reform. Could you please share more about your views on the current education system?
My perspective on Vietnamese education is that we need to reassess and change some fundamental aspects of the education and human development system as a whole, rather than just addressing individual situations. How can we develop a basic education foundation that provides practical solutions: How to develop humans for the 21st century and into the 22nd century?
What are your specific concerns at the moment?
Currently, I am focused on specific educational and training program structures aimed at addressing practical workforce issues in society. I believe that secondary education (middle school) should be divided into two branches: high school and vocational secondary education, thus aligning with societal needs. In the U.S., around 20% pursue vocational secondary education, creating a very strong vocational workforce. Every society needs skilled workers in essential fields such as cooking, car repair, electrical work, construction, household services… In Western countries, these individuals earn very well. This approach addresses surplus labor after high school by providing vocational training immediately after middle school. I think 30% of students after middle school could follow this training direction.
Under the current vocational law, the college level and below (excluding teacher training colleges) are managed by the Ministry of Labor – Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA). My view is that the college system should be considered part of the university system because it relates to the continuity and structure of basic university programs. In my opinion, the entire program from grade 1 to 12, including branching, should remain under the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), and the college level up to university should also remain under MOET. Doing so would greatly enhance educational continuity. Meanwhile, MOLISA would manage all activities related to vocational industries.
Do you believe that the development of the internet, with its vast amount of knowledge accessible to any student, is the reason why we increasingly need a philosophy of education: liberal education?
My second concern is university autonomy. This is a model that is widespread globally. Currently, MOET is the governing body for most universities, except for national universities, and they set annual quotas, controlling all universities. If we follow the model of university autonomy, MOET would shift from being the governing body to a state management body. The upcoming Higher Education Law may emphasize the role of public university councils and private university boards of trustees. University autonomy has three aspects: 1- Financial autonomy: schools balance their revenues and expenses, self-regulate, and self-manage, which opens up many opportunities for public schools. 2- Personnel management: schools can manage their staff in a way that suits the school, including the authority to confer titles like Professor and Associate Professor, instead of this being done by the national council as it is now. I believe the first two aspects serve the goal of achieving academic freedom, where students are the products for the high-skilled labor market. A university without academic freedom can only function at the level of high-level vocational training, not as a true university. The product of a university is its graduates, and this determines whether the university is of high quality and reputable. Ultimately, the university’s reputation depends on the capabilities and success of its students.
When I was a student, there were hardly any books to study; I found every way possible to get books and read everything I could. Nowadays, it’s the opposite; students don’t know what to read because there’s too much information. The explosion of the internet causes information overload, and young people often struggle to distinguish between true and false, good and bad information. If education does not adequately equip students with foundational knowledge to understand, perceive, analyze, and systematically receive information, society will face significant issues. This problem is not unique to Vietnam but is encountered worldwide. In the past, Mencius said, “Reading books and believing everything in them is worse than not reading at all.” Today, I would like to modify it to: “If you use Google and believe everything on it, you’d be better off not using Google at all,” because it can lead to unintended dependence. Liberal education helps open new horizons by developing the ability to analyze, critique, verify, and synthesize. Therefore, young people need guidance from an early age to learn how to select information. How can they determine right from wrong, instead of being forbidden? Can we forbid young people from using the internet? Instead, we should guide them systematically and honestly. A child should be educated to have awareness and responsibility for what they receive at each age level. The education system needs the same approach. When a child knows how to take responsibility, they will know how to self-regulate. Giving a child freedom, but with a sense of responsibility, is key.
To guide society toward a sustainable and long-term educational development, I believe we need to recognize that the root of current cultural behavior lies in the distorted perception of individual responsibility, which can lead to a chaotic society.