According to a proposal presented at the recent National Conference on “International Integration in the Process of Innovation in Vietnamese Higher Education,” Mr. Trần Đức Cảnh suggested that some public universities should be merged….

Specifically, Group I: categorizes 15 large public universities in central regions such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and provinces with research potential, and 8 non-public universities (NCL), including international or affiliated universities, conducting research and both research and teaching. Invest in a few universities among these to reach regional and international standards. According to the model proposed by Mr. Trần Đức Cảnh for the next 20 years, the public university system will include 15 universities in Group I – research universities, 60 universities in Group II, 40 universities in Group III (4-year universities), and 80 colleges in Group IV (2-year colleges).
Group II includes 120 regional public and non-public universities. The primary mission is to teach to meet the development needs of regional or local industries, or to prepare students for higher education. Universities in Group II should only offer master’s degrees.
Group III includes 105 public and non-public universities offering bachelor’s degrees (4 years) in one or several fields. Some universities may combine with colleges. These are smaller, but diverse and dynamic institutions, meeting the educational needs of various social classes.
Group IV includes 232 public and non-public colleges that shorten most programs from 3 years to 2 years, except for a few special fields, both practical and avoiding confusion between 3-4 year university programs. The focus is on two functions: equivalent to the first two basic years of university and training in specialized fields suited to local workforce development needs.
Strong restructuring is needed…
Thus, the total number of public universities and colleges under this model will be less than 200 schools. Compared to about 320 public schools currently, where have more than 120 public schools gone, sir?
This proposal studies and plans to merge most of the specialized public schools into multidisciplinary universities, focusing resources and managing more effectively than the current dispersion.
Among the currently operating public universities and colleges, a significant number specialize in fields such as law, medicine, economics – finance, engineering…. Compared to the standards of large universities in the U.S., most of these (university) institutions are equivalent to a school (branch) or a department. For example, UCLA has 11 schools, 109 departments, 125 majors; the University of Texas – Austin has 17 schools, 170 majors…
To implement this multidisciplinary university model, a strong and decisive restructuring plan is needed, organizing a truly large multidisciplinary university rather than decentralizing as in the national university model. At the same time, it is necessary to create a good, open living and learning environment, so relocating a large number of schools to the suburbs of current centers is inevitable.
The issue you raised will affect a large number of universities. How do you assess the feasibility of this solution in the current conditions of Vietnam?
Why did I propose to gather universities and research institutes? Whether or not they can be gathered depends on internal factors, but the proposal is reasonable: Schools that do not reach the level of a university should be converted to a school or college. For example, the proposal of 15 large public universities is a consolidation of at least 60 current public universities.
Large multidisciplinary universities in a sufficiently large space will allow students to study with leading lecturers in all fields, even if it is not the main field the student pursues. Currently, we are dispersing resources, and good lecturers from one school cannot teach at another. Schools are stuck, inefficiently arranging programs, and students cannot fully utilize the potential of their teachers and school resources.
Bringing this proposal forward may spark debate. But this is an idea to optimize our currently both scarce and weak resources.
An idea that needs debate
Suppose the idea is implemented. What issues will need to be faced? Has there been a large-scale merger in U.S. history, sir?
This is an idea that can lead to debate and then more in-depth research. To effectively train human resources, the educational and training system must first be effectively organized. We always talk about effective training, but how can that be achieved when the school system operates poorly?
If we start implementing this, there will first be reactions from interest groups. Previously, “I” was the principal of a school, now just the head of a department, “I” will definitely not agree. Not to mention other rights and privileges. This is a complex internal political issue, not easily resolved in a short time.
But the issue here is the benefits for students, the long-term benefits for the state in financial investment in school activities, and the maximum efficiency of the school’s existing resources.
In the U.S., large-scale mergers are rare because the principles and operating mechanisms of schools are clearly defined from the start. They start small, but within a large framework, and later develop without getting stuck like we do.
For example, when building a road, they plan for 60m even though the initial need is only 12m, but decades later, they expand without obstacles. We, on the other hand, make it 12m, and after completing it, want to expand but have to clear the land. Just after construction, it’s already overloaded. The complexity arises because the initial framework was not wide enough for effective and long-term development. The same applies to university development.
Given the current difficulties of non-public universities (NCL), how do you explain the proposal to triple the number of non-public universities in the next 20 years?

Mr. Trần Đức Cảnh

Even the non-public universities (NCL) themselves need to structure their management models (governing) appropriately. The current business-like operating mechanism of schools is still loose, leading to disruptions, significantly affecting the overall reputation of the NCL system…. Most NCL universities develop into multidisciplinary universities, and because they do not rely on state budgets, NCL schools must arrange and calculate effectively to survive and develop. The general situation is that the NCL school system is still young, and there will be many more disruptions, changes, and adjustments in the near future before it enters a stable and developmental cycle. The rapid increase in the number of NCL schools is inevitable, not only solving the public financial problem but also a trend and direction for future educational development. However, whether the NCL system increases rapidly or plays a larger role still depends heavily on the reorganization of the education and training system by the government and policies that create conditions for the NCL system to develop.
You also propose reducing the university duration to 2 years. What does this mean, sir?
Currently, Vietnam is offering 3-year college programs. This leads to students striving to enter 4-year universities because the time and cost difference between 3 and 4 years is not significant, resulting in a shortage of mid-level human resources.
The 2-year college program is divided into two systems: direct transfer to a 4-year university (bachelor’s degree) and specialized training.
The transfer system will address some very fundamental issues. With 232 proposed 2-year universities, averaging 3.7 schools per province and city, not counting the possibility of schools opening additional branches in neighboring localities when there is demand. Thus, the network of public and non-public colleges is almost everywhere in the localities.
The benefit of this network helps students have the opportunity to study near home, initially solving family economic issues. It solves the problem of providing study opportunities for students who are not sure if they want or can enter a 4-year university right away. Students study for the first 2 years and then transfer (link) to a university without wasting time.
The specialized college system trains professions suitable for the locality.
Furthermore, this will help reduce the number of students flocking to big cities.
Reducing unemployment, abolishing the quota allocation mechanism?
In your proposal, the proportion of workers with a university degree or higher increases significantly – from 7% to 21.8% in the next 20 years. Is this number too high when 72,000 university graduates are currently unemployed?
The economic development strategy for the next 20 years aims for Vietnam to become an industrialized country. The human resource development plan must be closely linked to the specific economic-social development plan. Therefore, future human resource forecasts must be thoroughly researched, analyzed in detail, and with a high degree of reliability so that educational and training organizations can use them to build their plans. General forecasts, lacking in-depth research and analysis, can easily lead to deviations in the human resource development plan.
We should shift our thinking about training from “supply” to “demand” – instead of the current quota allocation mechanism by the Ministry, there needs to be thorough research on the real human resource needs at the enterprise, organization, locality, and regional levels…
The best solution for current training quality is to use the output through clear, fair, and effective requirements. Equal competition at the output for all types of professions will impact training quality and the appropriate selection of input for each type of school. Singapore is a typical example.
Following the current selection and employment methods, the use of fake degrees, poor education, and lack of quality, affecting the human resource development index, will be unavoidable.
To become a developed technology and service country, the proposed rate of college and university graduates of working age is only average compared to developed countries in the world and less than half of South Korea’s current rate. Given Vietnam’s current conditions and to ensure training quality, the above figure is relatively realistic compared to the socio-economic development needs over the next 20 years.
How do you assess the opportunities for Vietnamese education in general and Vietnamese higher education in particular, when the goals set for 2020 are gradually changing or are unlikely to be achieved?
Vietnam being a latecomer also has certain advantages. We have the opportunity to learn from the successes and failures of educational and training systems around the world.
The main goal is to build an effective workforce, measured by labor productivity, linked to the country’s economic growth and human development indicators during the integration period, not just setting general goals.
Implementing educational innovation is a long and complex process, requiring specific goals, a roadmap, and time to achieve them. Subjective thinking and idealistic goals in proposed objectives, coupled with weak and confused management in the implementation phase by the governing body, can lead to unforeseen consequences…
Thank you, sir!
Source: http://vietbao.vn/Giao-duc/Can-giam-13-so-luong-truong-dai-hoc-cong/22181212/202/