College and University Stories
(Baonghean.vn) - Recently, on social networks and in the press, the story of "University" and "College" has been hotly discussed. Most opinions on the internet and experts in Language and Literature believe that using these two concepts to distinguish levels is unreasonable.
Regarding the history of the distinction between “University” and “College” in Vietnam, it appeared from the time when there were 2 National Universities, Hanoi National University and Ho Chi Minh City National University; then the establishment of a number of “Regional Universities” such as Thai Nguyen University, Da Nang University. After that, the use of these 2 words was “legislated” by Article 4 “Interpretation of terms” of the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Higher Education 2018, specifically as follows:
“2. Universities and academies (hereinafter referred to as universities) are higher education institutions that train and research in many fields, and are organized according to the provisions of this Law.
3. A university is a higher education institution that trains and conducts research in many fields, and is organized according to the provisions of this Law; the constituent units of a university agree to carry out common goals, missions and tasks.
Professor Pham Hong Tung - Director of the Institute of Vietnamese Studies, Hanoi National University spoke out about this issue: “A university is not a university. A university is not a university.
This is not just Hanoi University of Science and Technology's problem!
It is a matter of the Law on Higher Education.
Of the National Council of Education.
of the National Assembly
Due to the habit of splitting words, being in the name of something but not in reality, always focusing on titles, positions, and the perspective of the village square without ever clarifying for oneself: What should a university model be like? What should a university be like?
Where is the world that we are still stuck with word splitting, the more we split the more confused we get?
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Graphics: Diep Thanh |
Associate Professor Nguyen Hong Con - Former Head of the Department of Linguistics, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, on Facebook when debating with Dr. Le Viet Khuyen about Dr. Khuyen's response in the newspaper defending the distinction between "University" and "College" as follows:
“I would like to tell Dr. Le Viet Khuyen, basically I understand the same as you (University training in multiple fields and majors and University training in single fields and majors) and I believe that if explained, others will also be able to distinguish the conceptual connotations of these two higher education institutions according to the provisions of the Law on Higher Education. But the story here is not related to the concept but to the words expressing the concept, that is, the two names "university" and "university". These two similar names will make it difficult for people to understand and use in Vietnamese or translate into English.
In everyday Vietnamese, these two names are basically not different in meaning and usage. For example, when answering the question "Which school do you study at?", instead of answering "I study at Hanoi National University", student A can answer "I study at Hanoi National University" which is not wrong, because "National University" is just a school. In legal and administrative documents, using two words with similar forms and meanings as terms for two different concepts is a mistake.
Linguistics PhD Do Anh Vu - editor of Voice of Vietnam, consultant of the program King of Vietnamese on VTV wrote a status on Facebook: "In short, Polytechnic University or Polytechnic University is still a name to refer to an object that has not changed in geographical location, although now there has been an expansion in level/system. But even if there is a change in level, it is still a school. People can add the word "school" or remove the word "school" but still cannot change the feeling of an ordinary Vietnamese person about a training institution at the university level, called by a familiar common noun: school. Instead of being a school including internal units as faculties/majors, now that school is allowed to build affiliated units as member universities.
The absurdity lies in the fact that, in terms of linguistic form, the new name has one word less than the old name, but it forces listeners, readers, and the people of the whole country to understand that the new name has been expanded in content many times compared to the original name. This is illogical, conceptually unconvincing, leading to a sense of irony and great humor.
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Hanoi University of Science and Technology. Photo: PLO |
I also read the press responses of Deputy Ministers, former Department Heads... explaining the distinction between "University" and "College", and I sympathize with the explanations that are not wrong about the idea, about decentralization, about the need to be consistent with the development trend of world higher education, but unfortunately, the reality is "inappropriate" when choosing the concept to convey this decentralization.
I myself am a person who works directly related to Vietnamese every day, that is, teaching Vietnamese to foreigners, so everything must be clear. If it is not clear, foreigners will not understand. As Dr. of Linguistics Do Anh Vu and many others have commented, "University of Technology or Polytechnic University is still the name to refer to an object that has not changed in geographical location, although now there has been an expansion in level/system".
In the Vietnamese "sentiment", "University" is just an abbreviation of "University". The Vietnamese Dictionary (edited by the late Professor Hoang Phe) 2020 edition, page 462, in the entry "University" still states: the level of education above secondary school in the education system, e.g.: university lecture hall, university graduation. The dictionary does not have the entry "University" but has an example in the entry "School", page 1679: school [but often used with a specific meaning], e.g.: students go to school, writing school, vocational school, university.
In Vietnamese, “truong dai hoc” is a “noun”, in which “truong” is a unit noun, “dai hoc” is a predicate of “truong”, further clarifying the meaning of “truong”. In colloquial language, Vietnamese people still say: Truong Bach Khoa, Truong Tong Tong, Truong Nhan Van… which are colloquial abbreviations. When Vietnamese people use “Truong Hoc Tong Tong Ha Noi, Truong Hoc Bach Khoa Ha Noi”, it is an abbreviation of the full way of saying: Truong Hoc Hoc Ha Noi, Truong Hoc Hoc Ha Noi. Thus, in Vietnamese communication, Truong Dai hoc is a “noun” and when using “Dai hoc”, Vietnamese people will feel that it is still that noun and the unit noun “truong” has been omitted. In terms of communication and perception of Vietnamese by Vietnamese people in general, “Truong Dai hoc” and “Dai hoc” are just one.
This can be compared to the case of groups of words indicating direction of movement in Vietnamese: for example, the usage of “Chi a di ra ra roi” and “Chi a ra ra roi”. When saying “Chi a di ra roi”, “di” is a verb of movement, and “ra” indicates direction (to a larger/wider place). When saying “Chi a ra ra roi”, this is a shortened way of speaking and “ra” has the function of both a verb and a direction. These two sentences are just one.
I completely agree with the passionate, convincing, and all-around opinion of Associate Professor, Dr. Doan Le Giang - Former Head of the Faculty of Literature and Language, Former Head of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City National University, a person with a good knowledge of ancient and modern times, that "University" should be replaced with "University Institute" and "University Institute" should include "Universities". This method only requires replacing the phrase "Hanoi National University" with "Hanoi National University", "Ho Chi Minh City National University" with "Ho Chi Minh City National University".
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Hue University of Education. During the French colonial period, this building was the Morin Frères Hotel (Grand Hôtel de Hué, the letters are still faintly visible on the facade). Photo source: ManhHai/flickr.com |
Associate Professor, Dr. Doan Le Giang wrote specifically as follows: “I propose: using the word University instead of University, and the distinction between "universities" and "universities" is no longer made. The word "University" was born when the Indochina University was established in 1906, then widely used in the higher education system in Saigon from 1954 to 1975. For example:
- Saigon University has many faculties, also known as universities such as: University of Science, Saigon University of Letters, Saigon University of Medicine, Saigon University of Architecture... The faculties/member schools have full rights as a university.
- Hue University has many faculties, that is, universities, such as: University of Education, University of Medicine, University of Law...
If we change like that, we will return the word "University", "University" to its true meaning as a level of education or/and a university training institution. Medical University or Medical University, Polytechnic University and Polytechnic University... are the same. Thus, only a few newly established universities need to change their names, such as: Hanoi National University becomes Hanoi National University, similarly: Ho Chi Minh City National University, Hue University, Da Nang University... As for whether Hanoi University of Science and Technology wants to become Hanoi University of Science and Technology or not, it is up to us. Thus, there will no longer be a joke: Hanoi University of Science and Technology becomes Hanoi University of Science and Technology".
I think that the law may also have unreasonable things, over time, through the filtering and criticism of life, those unreasonable things will need to be changed and adjusted to be reasonable. That is why there is “Law of amendments…”. I think this is also normal.
Hopefully in the future there will be an adjustment of these two concepts, so that Vietnamese people will not have to suffer when learning the difference between “University” and “College”. At the same time, every time a new concept is formed, there must be a professional council with people who are knowledgeable about Vietnamese to participate in the decision.