TP - Decision 452 on planning the network of universities and pedagogical schools of the Government sets the goal that by 2030, Vietnam will train 3 million students. However, public opinion is wondering whether the domestic market can "absorb" all of this number?
TP - Decision 452 on planning the network of universities and pedagogical schools of the Government sets the goal that by 2030, Vietnam will train 3 million students. However, public opinion is wondering whether the domestic market can "absorb" all of this number?
Low compared to the world
Decision 452 sets a target of over 3 million students nationwide, reaching 260 university students and 23 post-graduate students per 10,000 people; the rate of university students per 18-22 year olds is 33%, in which no province has a rate lower than 15%. Compared to the Planning issued in 2007, this target is still lower. In Decision 121 (issued in 2007), the Government set a target of 200 students per 10,000 people by 2010; 300 students per 10,000 people by 2015 and 450 students per 10,000 people by 2020.
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University graduates in 2024. Photo: Nghiem Hue |
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the scale of university training has increased again since 2019, after a period of decline or no increase since 2014 (the year with the highest training scale in the previous period). However, the Ministry believes that the current ratio of 215 students/10,000 people is still low compared to the region and lower than the average of OECD countries (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, currently has 38 member countries). Achieving the target of 260 students/10,000 people set for 2030 is a huge challenge for Vietnam's university education.
While the scale of university training tends to increase, the scale of postgraduate training is low and has not increased for many years. Particularly worrying is the much lower proportion of postgraduate training in STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics) fields. The teaching staff of higher education institutions nationwide has grown rapidly in terms of quantity, qualifications and capacity. The student/lecturer ratio and the proportion of lecturers with doctoral degrees have increased in the past 5 years. However, these ratios are low compared to the general standards of the world and are a major bottleneck in efforts to improve the quality of training and research.
Similarly, the number of lecturers with the title of professor and associate professor has increased compared to 2008, but is still considered low compared to both domestic demand and regional correlation. Regarding scientific research capacity, although the number of international publications of higher education institutions has increased rapidly in recent years, the national average rate is still low compared to the general standards of universities in the region and the world. Thus, the challenge for the industry is to develop the quantity, qualifications and capacity of the teaching staff to be on par with the region and the world.
Fear of AI replacement
Although the current student/population ratio of Vietnam and the target set in the planning are not high, concerns about employment after graduation pose a difficult problem for educators and policy makers. Predictions that artificial intelligence (AI) will replace humans have been heating up recently, causing concern among many students and universities. Reality shows that the Information Technology industry is being most strongly affected by AI.
Mr. Nguyen Van Son, team leader at a Japanese software design company in Vietnam, shared that the number of employees is gradually decreasing. From a team of more than 30 members, Mr. Son now has only 5-6 employees. Mr. Son affirmed that software design was the first to be replaced by AI, and his team now only has security staff. "I myself predicted that AI would replace humans, but I didn't expect it to happen sooner and at a faster rate," Mr. Son said. According to statistics, nearly 70% of employers plan to integrate AI into their recruitment process and this will happen soon in 2025.
The changes in jobs in state management agencies in the coming time will affect the recruitment market. The target of 3 million students by 2030 is achievable for university training institutions, but the absorption into the labor market is beyond the expectations of policy makers. Because up to now, Vietnam has not had a human resource forecasting center. The opening of training majors and training quotas are "prescribed" by schools based on actual relationships. Even the group of pedagogical majors, although surveyed by localities, with specific surplus and shortage statistics, but when training is completed, recruitment depends on the allocated quota, so shortages are still shortages, surpluses are still surpluses.
Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son said that when the economy develops, the rate of university students will have to increase. Mr. Son said that the rate of 260 students and 23 post-graduate students per 10,000 people was calculated by the Ministry of Education and Training as reasonable and feasible when developing the plan. Currently, the total number of people in working age with degrees is approximately 27%, this number is still low, so it is necessary to improve the qualifications of the workforce, including intermediate, college and university levels. Therefore, planning to develop, train and improve qualifications and skills so that workers have more job opportunities, as well as increase the labor productivity of the economy.
With the requirements of economic development in the coming time, Mr. Son affirmed that the number of 260 students is still not enough. Mr. Son said that in this network, the human resource structure does not specifically include each industry, because the demand for human resources at different levels and fields will fluctuate greatly in the coming time. In the planning decision, the Ministry of Education and Training focuses on STEM training industries and fields, teacher training groups, and health. In addition to key industries, the planning also selects key university education institutions.
Decision 452 aims to develop a network of university education institutions training teachers with a scale of 180,000 to 200,000 students; develop a network of university education institutions training in the health sector, increasing the training scale from 180,000 to 200,000 university students.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/sinh-vien-tang-viec-lam-giam-post1723852.tpo
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