Universities have the autonomy to open new training programs.

On December 11th, the Office of the President announced the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Higher Education. Passed by the National Assembly on November 19th, the Law takes effect from July 1st, 2019.

Major policyThe most significant revision, according to Nguyen Thi Kim Phung, Director of Higher Education (Ministry of Education and Training), is the expansion and enhancement of autonomy for the entire system. The high level of autonomy, previously limited to 5 universities and 23 pilot schools, will be extended to all higher education institutions..

"Once the Law comes into effect, schools will be in a position to promote dynamism and creativity in all aspects: academics, finance, human resources... in order to be most effective, serving the school's development policy and competing within the entire system as well as internationally," Ms. Phung said.

The new provisions in the amended Higher Education Law significantly reduce administrative procedures. For example, previously, universities had to report, register, and wait for permission from competent state agencies before opening training programs or recruiting and appointing senior personnel. With the new law in effect, universities will be able to make decisions immediately upon meeting all the necessary conditions.

Ms. Phung emphasized that the new law allows universities to independently open new majors, meaning they can decide on opening new programs without having to seek permission or register with the relevant professional management agency. However, the conditions for opening new programs and the quality standards for opening them are more strictly regulated by the law. For example, the standards for opening a new program must be based on the market's demand for human resources; the university's internal capacity (teacher system, facilities, training programs) for that major; and the social acceptance of the training program and its graduates.

Furthermore, the decision to open a new training program must be made by the University Council. According to the new regulations, the council must have at least 30% members from outside the university, including administrators, social activists, scientists, etc. These individuals will assess whether society needs that particular field of study, and whether the university's quality assurance conditions are sufficient to meet the training requirements of that field.

Students of Vinh University. (Photo courtesy)

Budget allocation based on the principle of commissioned research and training.

Other new policies in the amended Higher Education Law include reforms to university governance and the strengthening of the University Council. According to the Law, the University Council is the highest authority of a university, with full power to decide on key personnel (the Rector), the university's development strategy, and major investment policies. It represents the owner (public universities), receiving autonomy from the state to implement self-governance in higher education institutions. Based on this, the university will issue internal regulations and rules to ensure transparency throughout the institution and for public oversight.

The new law focuses on system development, particularly encouraging large, well-funded universities to merge into larger universities, or for several universities within the same field/locality to combine to form large, multi-disciplinary universities. With this mechanism, universities can also support and collaborate with each other in development, enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnamese universities globally. Furthermore, the law allows private universities to develop on an almost equal footing with public universities, especially in professional activities.

This law also innovates the financial and asset management mechanisms, making them more transparent and efficient, tailored to each type of higher education institution, in order to create conditions for universities to be autonomous. Accordingly, higher education institutions have the right to independently determine tuition fees, ensuring they are commensurate with the quality of education and to announce them during the enrollment process.

The State allocates budget and resources to higher education according to the principles of competition, equality, and efficiency through investment expenditures, research and development expenditures, commissioned research and training, scholarships, student loans, and other forms. The State prioritizes investment in the development of certain higher education institutions and training programs of regional and international stature, as well as high-quality teacher training institutions.