Finance is the biggest bottleneck in the development of higher education.

This is the assessment of the Ministry of Education and Training , when evaluating the 5-year implementation of the Higher Education Law 2019-2023.

Candidates seek information about university admissions in a program organized by Tuoi Tre newspaper - Photo: DUYEN PHAN

According to the ministry, the five years of implementing the Higher Education Law have brought many positive results in the development of the system, especially in the implementation of university autonomy. However, there are still quite a few obstacles and difficulties.

Among these, the financial evaluation system is the biggest bottleneck in the development of higher education.

The financial capacity of most higher education institutions is weak and unsustainable, primarily relying on tuition fees and state budget allocations (if any), while public resources are limited.

Statistics show that 77% of universities' revenue comes from tuition fees, with only 5% coming from research and technology transfer.

The financial mechanisms for education also face obstacles. The allocation of financial resources is not truly based on the quality of the output. The management and use of finances and assets are still constrained by numerous overlapping and even contradictory regulations, leading to a lack of uniformity in the understanding, application, and adaptation of legal provisions to practical situations.

Furthermore, investment in higher education in Vietnam is not only very low, but has actually decreased sharply in recent years.

This report cites data from the Ministry of Finance showing that funding from the Vietnamese state budget for higher education in 2020 accounted for only 0.27% of GDP, but actual expenditure reached only 0.18% of GDP.

Meanwhile, the actual spending figures in Indonesia are 0.57%, in Thailand 0.64%, China 0.87%, Singapore 1%, and Malaysia 1.13%.

Based on this reality, the Ministry of Education and Training assesses that financial resources are the biggest bottleneck for the development of higher education and for implementing strategic breakthroughs in high-quality human resources, science, technology, and innovation in our country.

Universities commit violations due to overlapping laws.

Besides financial issues, the Ministry of Education and Training also recognizes that the system of legal documents related to higher education is not unified, leading to different interpretations of the same issue.

Legal regulations related to autonomy, finance, and personnel are overlapping and inconsistent, making it difficult for higher education institutions to fully exercise their autonomy.

Besides the regulations of the Higher Education Law, public higher education institutions are also bound and governed by many other laws such as the Law on Public Assets, the Law on Public Investment, the Law on State Budget, the Law on Cadres and Civil Servants, the Law on Public Employees, etc.

The lack of institutional synchronization and coordination leads to different interpretations and applications by each agency, ministry, and higher education institution; this gives rise to inadequacies and even violations in the implementation of policies and laws.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tai-chinh-la-diem-nghen-lon-nhat-trong-phat-trien-giao-duc-dai-hoc-20241221105025782.htm