The meeting of the National Committee for Educational and Training Innovation and the National Council for Education and Human Resource Development for the 2016-2021 term took place last week, chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Mr. Tran Duc Canh participated in this meeting as a council member.
Mr. Canh, who previously served as the Director of Training and Human Resource Development for the state of Massachusetts (USA) and was a long-time admissions advisor at Harvard University, shared his insights on the issues discussed during the important meeting.
Mr. Tran Duc Canh said: “There are many important issues in the education sector that deserve attention, among which university autonomy (UA) should be deeply discussed.”
Mr. Tran Duc Canh: University autonomy should have been implemented years ago; it is a key factor that can help our universities catch up with those in Southeast Asia. University autonomy is inevitable in the development of higher education. Currently, three universities have been selected as pilot models for university autonomy, and they are in the process of building the mechanism and policies to operate their schools accordingly. Interviewer: What exactly does real university autonomy mean, sir?
In simple terms, university autonomy has three main components: financial, human resources, and academics. Regarding financial autonomy, the university manages its own budget and has more flexibility in spending, investing in the university, as well as developing programs related to education and training. The same applies to human resources, where universities have the freedom to recruit staff to meet teaching, research, and administrative management needs without having to seek approval from the governing body. However, both financial and human resource autonomy are aimed at the academic goals of training and building long-term quality human resources.
We should not expect university autonomy to become a “magic wand” for the current problems in higher education, but at least it will establish an autonomous structure through accountability, flexibility, and creativity in management, administration, and program development.
– Academics must be considered an essential component of university autonomy. The purpose of higher education is not just to transmit existing knowledge but, more importantly, to seek truth through the development of new knowledge. The most important metric for evaluating success is the quality of human resources, not just curricula, subjects, instructors, or materials…
Guiding human resource development will help reduce unemployment rates among graduates
However, due to the particularities of the system and deep government intervention in universities, there are inevitably some constraints within the “framework.” Therefore, we should discuss building university autonomy that targets academic goals and fosters creativity and scientific critical thinking within the core programs.
– No, there will still be many difficulties on the road to university autonomy. Just as a child needs to be prepared with the necessary skills from an early age to live independently at 18, Vietnamese universities, which have been “subsidized” and “controlled” by government ministries for decades, cannot immediately achieve full autonomy. Hence, there will certainly be challenges, even failures.
But that should not deter us from following this path. It took the United States over a hundred years to establish true universities. We must persist in this direction; otherwise, Vietnamese education will never mature, let alone compete with the world.
– Most developed countries have a human resource development plan aligned with their economic-social development plan for a certain period. Human resources are related to job training. Without this alignment, many people will work in fields unrelated to their interests and passions, making it difficult to have the motivation for creativity and development. This situation would somewhat stifle the necessary development drive in individuals and society.
We often talk broadly about educational development orientation, but the development plan remains vague. Or the situation where every sector claims to be the “leading” industry, without knowing which sector is truly leading. This makes it difficult to focus investments and develop a strategic economic plan.
– From my many years of experience as Director of Training and Human Resource Development for Massachusetts, I believe that establishing a human resource development direction in Vietnam is not too difficult. If there is a specific development goal, we can calculate the future labor demand, the number of workers, technicians, engineers, and managers needed in various industries. From there, we can determine the criteria for training centers and universities regarding training, finances, and human resources.
The model is not imposed; the centers and experts will study and provide forecast figures. These figures are adjusted, supplemented, and incorporated into the forecast framework as needed. This model may initially have shortcomings, but it forms the foundation for human resource development, with higher education at its core, and state policies aligned with that direction. A clear direction with specific figures and plans, not just empty slogans.
* Thank you for your insights.
Source: http://phunuonline.com.vn/giao-duc/tu-chu-dai-hoc-khong-chi-la-thoat-bo-chu-quan-130280/
