The risk of burdening universities

The 2012 Higher Education Law stipulates that higher education institutions must implement training, science and technology activities, international cooperation, ensure the quality of higher education, self-assess the quality of training, and be subject to quality accreditation.

However, quality assurance in education seems to be becoming a burden for many universities.

This issue was raised again at a seminar reviewing and evaluating the implementation of the Education Law and the Higher Education Law, organized by the Ministry of Education and Training last weekend, with the participation of representatives from many provincial Departments of Education and Training and higher education institutions in the South.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son speaks at the seminar.

People are wondering why quality inspection is mandatory.

Associate Professor Tran Tien Khai, Head of the Quality Assurance and Program Development Department at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, proposed that there should be official regulations on the quality assurance council of higher education institutions. In practice, the success of quality assurance and accreditation at universities depends on the level of attention from the university leadership, and there is no uniformity across universities.

Associate Professor Khai said: "One issue that most schools are concerned about is why quality accreditation is mandatory when almost no country in the world mandates it? Of course, they have common national standards, similar to Circular 01 on educational quality standards. Common standards are necessary, but should they be mandatory?"

Associate Professor Tran Tien Khai, Head of the Quality Assurance and Program Development Department at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, raised some concerns about educational accreditation.

Representatives from the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City believe that this might be necessary in the current phase to strengthen the quality of Vietnam's higher education system. "But do we need to go to the extent that all training programs are required to undergo accreditation? This would create a huge financial burden on the university system, which not all universities can afford, affecting the progress of quality accreditation in line with the Ministry's wishes and state regulations," Associate Professor Dr. Khai raised the issue.

C. CHASING FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE AND FEAR OF DECREASED QUALITY

From a personal perspective, Mr. Khai believes that if a university has 50 accredited training programs, plus other accredited training institutions, then the remaining programs should also be considered to have achieved that level. This approach could reduce the burden on universities in the accreditation process. Furthermore, while the current validity period for quality accreditation certificates is 5 years, the second phase should be extended to 7 years to alleviate pressure on universities. Otherwise, they will face a situation where they achieve accreditation only to then have to prepare for re-accreditation.

Regarding this issue, Dr. Thai Thi Tuyet Dung, Deputy Head of the Inspection and Legal Affairs Department of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, believes that accreditation is a good policy but needs a roadmap. Dr. Dung said: "Recently, it seems like every university is rushing to get accredited. When too much is concentrated, the quality of accreditation may not inspire as much confidence as initially expected." According to Dr. Dung, the root of this problem is tuition fees. Universities want to achieve accreditation standards to be able to independently determine tuition fees, so they rush to get accredited.

According to current regulations, one of the conditions for higher education institutions to be granted autonomy is the public disclosure of quality assurance conditions, accreditation results, graduate employment rates, and other information as prescribed by law.

Higher education institutions that meet the quality accreditation standards for undergraduate programs are granted autonomy to open master's degree programs in relevant fields; and those that meet the quality accreditation standards for both undergraduate and master's programs are granted autonomy to open doctoral degree programs in relevant fields, except for those in the health, teacher training, defense, and security sectors.

Public universities are free to determine tuition fees for programs that meet quality accreditation standards based on economic and technical norms issued by the university, and must publicly explain and justify these fees to students and the public.

Information from the Quality Management Department shows that compared to 2020, the number of training programs accredited in 2022 and 2023 increased by 40-50%, with a particularly rapid pace in 2022. By the end of July 2023, 399 training programs had achieved international accreditation standards out of a total of over 1,200 accredited training programs.

WE WILL CONDUCT RESEARCH TO REDUCE THE LOAD

In response to the aforementioned concerns, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son stated that these opinions need careful consideration because, in reality, no country mandates the accreditation of all training programs. Furthermore, even regarding the accreditation of educational institutions, many have not been accredited, and the law does not specify penalties for non-accreditation.

Sharing his views on the upcoming approach, the Deputy Minister of Education and Training stated that in the trend of granting autonomy, capable educational institutions can be given the authority to self-assess their systems. For example, national universities, being capable of self-assessment, can self-assess their member units and training programs within the system. Subsequently, external accreditation organizations will re-assess the national university's accreditation system, but at this stage, they will only sample a few programs. National universities, regional universities, and large universities could then be assigned to do it this way… and this would also be a way to reduce the workload.

The "very awkward" situation in teacher recruitment.

Also at the seminar, many opinions were exchanged and discussed, assessing the shortcomings, limitations, difficulties, and obstacles in the implementation of the Education Law in the period 2020-2024 and the Higher Education Law in the period 2019-2023. Simultaneously, solutions were proposed to overcome these difficulties, obstacles, inadequacies, and limitations. Of particular note was the opinion of Mr. Nguyen Phuong Toan, Deputy Director of the Tien Giang Department of Education and Training, regarding the issue of teacher recruitment.

Mr. Nguyen Phuong Toan raised practical issues regarding teacher qualification standards. According to the Education Law, preschool teachers must have graduated from a teacher training college, while teachers from primary school upwards must have graduated from a teacher training university. However, the law includes an open provision in Clause 1, Article 72, stating that if a subject lacks sufficient teachers with a bachelor's degree in a teacher training field, then teachers must have a bachelor's degree in a relevant specialized field and a certificate of pedagogical training.

However, Mr. Toan stated that a problem has arisen in the recruitment process. According to regulations, students wishing to study pedagogy must meet the minimum score set by the Ministry of Education and Training. But those who fail to meet this minimum score and instead attend private schools or pursue bachelor's degrees and obtain additional teaching certificates are still required to be admitted.

The Deputy Director of the Tien Giang Department of Education and Training cited a "very awkward" case in the locality. He said: "A student graduated from a local university, majoring in Vietnamese language and culture. Initially, when the student applied to be a teacher of Vietnamese language and culture, the Tien Giang Department of Education and Training did not accept the application. However, after the parents complained, the Department had to seek the opinion of the Ministry of Education and Training, and the Ministry replied that it delegated the authority to the Department or the Department would coordinate with the training institution. We were forced to send a document to the university, and the university responded to the Department that the student majoring in Vietnamese language and culture met the standards, qualifications, and capabilities to teach Vietnamese language and culture at the high school level."

"This is very awkward for the Department, because the literature teacher training program not only trains students in Vietnamese literature but also in foreign literature... But according to the university's document, the Tien Giang Department of Education and Training is obligated to accept a student majoring in Vietnamese language and culture if that student is admitted," Mr. Toan emphasized.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son acknowledged this as a rather special case. Therefore, the issue of entrance requirements needs to be carefully studied to ensure fairness for students.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/kiem-dinh-chat-luong-giao-duc-nguy-co-ganh-nang-cua-truong-dh-185241110202950274.htm