Challenges of the new Minister of Education and Training

According to an article published in University World News magazine, the unemployment of graduates is one of the serious problems that need to be solved by the new Minister of Education and Training, Phung Xuan Nha.

University World News, one of the leading magazines on higher education, has just published an article by author Pham Hiep (a graduate student at Chinese Culture University in Taiwan, China), outlining the challenges that new Minister Phung Xuan Nha will face in his next term.

According to the article, Vietnam’s education system is facing many problems such as declining quality, rising unemployment rate, lack of quality lecturers and low level of internationalization. These are also challenges for the new Minister Phung Xuan Nha.

In an interview after taking office, Mr. Nha emphasized the importance of higher education in "meeting the needs of the labor market in the context of deep integration."

In 2013-2014, the unemployment rate increased, especially in the service sector, which employs many graduates, due to the economic recession and prolonged crisis.

New Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha. Graphics: Phuong Nguyen.

According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, in the last 3 months of 2015, about 225,000 bachelors and masters were unemployed.

The author of the article argues that a paradox exists in our country. Last year, the highest unemployment rate fell among the group of bachelors and intermediate vocational graduates, while the group of untrained workers had the lowest unemployment rate, according to the Institute of Labor Science and Social Affairs. This situation is contrary to the general unemployment trend.

This is a matter of concern as universities continue to produce large numbers of graduates.

Education expert Hoang Anh Duc, manager of the EduTrigger project, said that "reducing the rate of unemployed graduates should be included in the list of immediate tasks of the new Minister of Education."

According to Mr. Nha, to solve this problem, "shifting from an education system that focuses on content approach to an education system that focuses on teaching methods and skills" needs to be prioritized.

He added that in the coming time, the Ministry of Education and Training will pay attention to innovating the curriculum and teaching methods.

Under the previous minister, the Ministry proposed reducing the number of years of university study from 4-6 years to 3-4 years, to match the university system in Southeast Asian countries, while reducing theoretical learning and focusing on practice.

The Government issued Resolution 77, piloting the granting of increased autonomy to 13 universities. Accordingly, the schools will set their own curricula, open training courses and decide on methods to improve training quality.

However, the cause of unemployment is not only due to the quality of higher education, but also related to external factors such as the economy's demand for labor and competition from foreign labor sources.

"The economic recession means a reduction in the number of jobs, leading to unemployment or underemployment among graduates," said Pham Hai, an education observer and owner of an ICT business in Hanoi.

Mr. Nha hopes to accelerate the internationalization of Vietnam’s higher education system. The new minister graduated with a degree in Economics from the University of Manchester, UK, and spent time as a postdoctoral researcher at Georgetown University, US.

"The person assigned to lead the industry must have a global perspective and the ability to keep up with the trends of the times," he said.

According to Zing