Proposal to build a new Law on Higher Education

giáo dục - Ảnh 1. — Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics is one of four schools that have been converted into universities. The Ministry of Education and Training has assessed that this model brings many advantages - Photo: TRAN HUYNH

The assessment emphasized that amending and supplementing this law is a necessary requirement to remove barriers, create conditions for educational institutions to develop sustainably and improve system quality.

Opportunities for industry development

According to Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son, the Law on Higher Education No. 08/2012/QH13; Law No. 34/2018/QH14 amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Higher Education have recently had many changes, bringing convenience to higher education institutions.

In particular, university autonomy has been implemented in recent times and has achieved some encouraging results, creating positive changes in both awareness and implementation. However, over time, there are still shortcomings in the system that need to be changed to suit the new situation. Therefore, amending the law is extremely important, an opportunity to develop the industry, meeting the requirements of national development.

Reporting on the assessment of the implementation of the Law on Higher Education in the recent period, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy - Deputy Director of the Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Education and Training) - also stated that the Law on Higher Education has basically met the practical requirements of developing higher education, enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency in state management, enhancing the autonomy of higher education institutions, ensuring international integration...

"The two-tier university model is ineffective"

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the country currently has 264 higher education institutions, including two national universities, three regional universities, four other universities and 255 universities and academies, of which 171 schools are under ministries, branches and central agencies, 26 schools are under the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities and 77 private higher education institutions.

According to the assessment of the Ministry of Education and Training, the regulations on university organizations with member universities (two-level model like the current model of two national universities and three regional universities) have many shortcomings, especially when implementing the autonomy mechanism.

In reality, the organization and operation of two-level universities face a number of problems: the organizational and administrative model has an additional intermediate level, which can easily become cumbersome and ineffective. There are difficulties in clearly defining the authority and responsibility between the university level and its member universities when each university also fully exercises its autonomy and accountability like other universities...

Implementing the provisions of the Law on Higher Education, four schools have been converted into universities, including one private school: Hanoi University of Science and Technology (2022), Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics (2023), National Economics University and Duy Tan University (2024).

Meanwhile, unlike the two-tier university model, these universities have schools and faculties but no member universities.

The model offers many advantages such as a compact organizational structure, effective operation, increased decentralization and autonomy in activities; creating conditions for students to freely choose to study subjects or interdisciplinary programs at different schools, and to study with the best lecturers...

Actual operations show that all four universities demonstrate good capacity and reputation in university governance, attracting resources, training and research quality, and international integration capabilities.

The Ministry of Education and Training also said that it has completed the draft plan for the network of higher education and pedagogical institutions after receiving consensus from the appraisal council, and will submit it to the Government for promulgation in the coming time.

Faced with strong changes in the country's socio-economy and international integration requirements, some provisions of the Law on Higher Education are no longer suitable for practical requirements.

Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy (Deputy Director of Department of Higher Education - Ministry of Education and Training)

Building alternative laws

Based on the assessment of the achievements, difficulties, obstacles and causes in the implementation of the Law on Higher Education, the context and requirements in the new development stage of the country, the Ministry of Education and Training proposes orientations for the contents of amendments and supplements to the Law on Higher Education in 2012 and 2018, on that basis, including relevant contents that need to be urgently amended and supplemented in the draft Law on Teachers, Law on Science and Technology (amended) to be submitted to the National Assembly in 2025.

Develop a new Law on Higher Education, replacing the 2012 and 2018 laws and submit it to the National Assembly in 2027 as in the education development strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045 (approved by the Prime Minister) to ensure consistency with the amendment of the Law on Vocational Education in the 2026-2030 period.

The Ministry of Education and Training proposed to orient the contents that need to be revised and supplemented: arranging and reducing the number of focal points of facilities according to university education standards, planning the network (after being approved by the Prime Minister) along with arranging and streamlining the internal organizational structure of schools.

Notably, the Ministry of Education and Training proposed to bring multidisciplinary and multi-field higher education institutions under the management of this ministry, to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of state management and investment efficiency in higher education, meeting the requirements of implementing strategic breakthroughs in high-quality human resources, science, technology and innovation.

Need to improve regulations on scholarship and tuition exemption policies

Regarding the higher education system, the Ministry of Education and Training proposed to supplement the scope of regulation and applicable subjects to cover all organizations and educational institutions operating in higher education, including organizations providing online and cross-border higher education services.

Clearly define the scope of state management of ministries, branches and localities, coordination mechanisms such as regulations on information sharing, coordination of monitoring and problem solving between the Ministry of Education and Training, ministries and localities; especially for private universities, foreign universities and foreign-invested universities.

In addition, it is necessary to complete regulations on scholarship policies, tuition exemptions, and preferential credits for learners according to the expansion of subjects, with priority given to key groups of industries; encourage the establishment of credit funds, scholarship funds, and other funds to support learners using funds outside the state budget; and supplement regulations on the mechanism for monitoring the implementation of ensuring learners' rights.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/de-xuat-xay-dung-luat-giao-duc-dai-hoc-moi-20250403081718088.htm