Higher education under pressure in Vietnam
Updated
Vietnam's tertiary education sector is struggling to keep up with the pace of economic change.
Since liberalisation in the mid-80s, Vietnam's economy has grown with large-scale foreign direct investment. Much of that has gone to manufacturing and, increasingly, hi-tech industries. But the country's tertiary education system is struggling to provide the skills needed, and there's a strong push for reform.
Presenter: Matt Abud
Speakers: Jeffrey Waite, Lead Education Specialist for the World Bank in Vietnam; Ben Sowter, Head of Research at QS; Jim Barber RMIT's deputy vice-chancellor
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MATTHEW ABUD: When technology giant Intel ran a recent screening test of top job candidates in Vietnam, out of 2,000 applicants only 40 made the grade. For many involved in the education sector that's not surprising. Vietnam's economy might have changed drastically since it liberalised but the tertiary education system still largely runs along old lines. Much of the learning is by rote and the government manages all aspects of tertiary institutions. That means senior staff can get their positions through political links and not always through skill and merit. Jeffrey Waite is lead education specialist for the World Bank in Vietnam. He says the government is clear that reform is needed and is following a two-track strategy of inviting foreign private participation and also reforming national institutions.
DR JEFFREY WAITE: I think that the government, in terms of improving quality, it wants to work within the public institutions, enabling those institutions to have more autonomy in order for them to manage their own quality assurance better but I think it's fair to say also that it sees an expansion of the private sector as not only a direct response to the demand from the public for more places but also as putting some pressure on public institutions to raise their game.
MATTHEW ABUD: Still, planned national education reforms in Vietnam have stalled and it's unclear how and when they might be implemented. Jeffrey Waite says the delay is because of extended government consultation which has gone past deadlines and also because of lower level bureaucratic resistance to change. All this means Vietnam is struggling to keep up with a tertiary education surge in the region. QS is a tertiary education media events and research company. It recently released rankings of the top universities in Asia. Japan, China and South Korea dominated the list of the top 200 and most neighbouring countries also rated a mention but Vietnam had none. Head of research at QS Ben Souter says many leading countries are targeting top strategic partnerships to advance their tertiary education sector.
BEN SOUTER: Well, the first aspect on partnerships, certainly with other institutions it's a major driver. We're seeing a lot of Asian institutions are coming on missions to London and we're seeing international conferences and their express objective is to develop partnerships with the world's leading institutions. They're being very selective about the institutions that they're partnered with in many cases.
MATTHEW ABUD: In Vietnam, Australia's Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, RMIT, is the country's second-biggest foreign tertiary investment project worth over $44 million. RMIT's deputy vice chancellor Jim Barber says the growth in their enterprise has been phenomenal, with enrolments increasing by 30 per cent each semester. But he says there's still a long way to go before education can meet workplace needs. One factor is that many students are not attracted to science and technology courses. They'd rather study small business skills instead.
JIM BARBER: Government is encouraging us and we're doing our best to try to move in the area of science and technology but the other really key player here is industry. We have been putting a fair bit of effort into getting out and talking with industry about how they can, as it were, prime the pump on demand in this area because they need it for their work force.
MATTHEW ABUD: Vietnam's government is one of several in the region pursuing education reforms to keep up with changing economic demands. It's a high-pressure race and the competition will have big consequences for the country's tertiary education system and its economic prosperity.
