Solutions for human resource development in social sciences and humanities

(Baonghean) - Nghe An is a land with a long-standing historical and cultural tradition. In this "spiritual land of talented people", a large number of researchers in the social sciences and humanities have been formed and have left behind many valuable works and publications.

Currently, Nghe An has a relatively large force working in Social Sciences and Humanities (S&H) of nearly 250 people. Most of the staff are passionate and dedicated to scientific research, including senior and famous researchers who have left behind many valuable scientific works. However, the S&H research team of the province is not concentrated, the structure in the sectors and fields is still inadequate, mainly concentrated in the fields of culture and history. There are some fields with a serious shortage of staff, even some fields have no research staff such as archaeology, ethnology, anthropology... and some fields of sociology and economics are very scarce...

The research staff has not met the requirements and tasks in the integration and development period. The team of professional social science and humanities has not been built; there is a surplus of management staff and a shortage of professional research staff with high qualifications, passion and dedication to research. Meanwhile, the team with in-depth qualifications, research methods, and a large accumulation of documents is aging, although very enthusiastic but limited in working capacity.

The current situation of a shortage of successor cadres is happening. According to a survey, the team working in social sciences and humanities is under 30 years old, about 30% is over 30 years old, over 50 years old is 25%. The problem is that to become a real social sciences and humanities researcher, in addition to the knowledge acquired through training, after graduation, one must spend decades in practice, accumulating knowledge, materials, and scientific working methods to be able to handle the job.

Signing ceremony of the agreement on cooperation in social sciences and humanities research between the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences and the People's Committee of Nghe An province for the period 2012 - 2015.

Causes leading to the above situation:

- We are lacking a working environment in both senses (workplace and working conditions). The agencies with functions specializing in social sciences and humanities research used to have 2 units: Nghe An Center for Social Sciences and Humanities (under the Department of Science and Technology) and Institute of Cultural and Language Research (under Vinh University), now there is only 1 unit left. The number of staff recruited is small because the quota is very limited. Therefore, students and trainees who have completed university and graduate school lack a working environment to practice, self-train in practice and continue to study to improve their knowledge.

- The young generation has not yet accumulated knowledge of materials, research methods are still weak and lacking. There are no opportunities to exchange with domestic scientists, not to mention international scientists.

To contribute to the development of staff and promote the development of the province's social sciences and humanities, we propose the following solutions:

Firstly, training local human resources: From the perspective of building internal strength, developing from internal strength is the main thing, therefore, training high-quality human resources in the field of social sciences and humanities has a decisive position. To train local human resources, first of all, there must be a working environment. Currently, our province still has too few local working environments and facilities for human resources in social sciences and humanities.

Nghe An is one of five provinces and cities that have established local social sciences and humanities research agencies (Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Nghe An). However, Nghe An currently only has the Center for Social Sciences and Humanities (under the Department of Science and Technology) and three associations with research activities in this field (Folklore, Historical Science, Literature and Arts). Meanwhile, in Ho Chi Minh City, there are: the Center for Social Sciences and Humanities, the Institute of Economics, the Social Sciences Council under the city and nine associations operating in the field of social sciences and humanities under the City Union of Science and Technology Associations; not to mention the centers and research facilities of social sciences and humanities under the City Department of Science and Technology. With such a number of facilities, Ho Chi Minh City has created many jobs for recruitment, forming an abundant local human resource to continue training, forming a large and highly qualified team of social science and humanities researchers.

From the above reality, the most important issue in training high-quality human resources for the team working in social sciences and humanities is: Creating a working environment and a practical environment with a special mechanism in prioritizing the number of recruitment of university graduates, graduate students, and postgraduates in fields that are lacking or do not have staff such as: Economics, Sociology, Ethnicity, Religion to work in practice, accumulate experience and then continue to send for training. There must be a unified viewpoint of priority - perseverance - long-term (both sides: management agencies and staff). To gradually form a team of professional and concentrated social sciences and humanities staff.

Second, build a mechanism to link the research staff, participate in social sciences and humanities research in the area. Currently, there are 5 universities and 6 colleges in our province. The team of professors, associate professors, and doctors is very large; Vinh University alone has 642 teaching staff, including 56 professors, associate professors, 137 doctors, and 328 masters, which is an abundant human resource in scientific research.

In addition, there is also a large number of graduate students and postgraduates. The advantage is that Vinh University has almost all the specialized faculties in the fields of Social Sciences and Humanities such as: History, Literature, Geography, Economics. However, in the past, there has only been cooperation in research in the fields of history and culture, while there have been almost no worthy works on contemporary issues that need to be researched such as economics, investment environment, religion, urban culture... Therefore, in order to attract the intelligence and resources of scientists in the area; every year, the provincial scientific staff orders research contents, especially in the fields of economics, archaeology, sociology, religion, rural areas, agriculture, farmers, for scientists working at central facilities located in the province. At the same time, suggest some directions in the province's social sciences and humanities research for doctoral students associated with their theses, thereby transferring research results into practical life in Nghe An.

Third, connecting experts working in the field of social sciences and humanities in central institutes and sectors, attracting intellectual research on Nghe An. In April 2012, our province signed with the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (now the Academy) a program to coordinate research activities on social sciences and humanities in Nghe An. Over the past year, the two agencies have implemented a number of initial activities such as: Coordinating the organization of a national scientific conference on: Natural heritage and cultural heritage in the North Central region: Preserving and promoting values; the topic of mobilizing resources of Nghe people at home and abroad to build their homeland and a number of other coordinated activities.

Through the signing program, creating favorable conditions to attract the intelligence of scientists from the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences to research on Nghe An. On the other hand, the province chooses specialized contents that the province does not have human resources to undertake to order organizations, individuals and scientists such as: identifying breakthroughs in development in the economic and social fields of the province, the religious field: regional economy, investment attraction. Annually, organizing dialogues between provincial leaders and experts and scientists in building policy mechanisms and orientations for socio-economic development of the province.

The Party Committee and people of Nghe An are implementing Resolution No. 26 dated July 30, 2013 of the Politburo on the direction and tasks for the development of Nghe An province until 2020; in which: becoming a fairly developed province in the Northern region by 2015, and by 2020 basically becoming an industrial province, a center of finance, trade, tourism, education and training, science and technology, health, sports, and high-tech industry in the North Central region. To contribute to the implementation of Resolution No. 26 of the Politburo, the province's Social Sciences and Humanities have gradually overcome the shortage of adjacent human resources and built a development strategy associated with the province's socio-economic development roadmap.

Nguyen Quoc Hong