VietNamNet Bridge – A Higher Education Update written by professors from leading American universities said that low salaries, too many teaching hours, and modest income from scientific research projects remained problems in Vietnam’s universities.
The researchers, who conducted the survey of seven technical science majors at 14 prestigious universities in Vietnam, concluded that Vietnam’s higher education had seen major changes since 2006-2007 but several issues need to be resolved.
Regionalism
The writers said that the current personnel structure of the universities promoted “regionalism”. Vietnamese students tend to study at schools near their homes, continue as postgraduates and then often teach at the same school. Vietnamese schools, when recruiting workers, also want to find candidates who have studied at the same schools.
This trait was attributed to Vietnamese family culture. The students surveyed said they did not want to settle down in other localities because they have to take care of their families.
Professor Ngo Bao Chau of the University of Chicago said that regionalism hindered academic exchange among lecturers and scientists, and therefore, harmed the national education.
Study hours
The researchers noted that the high number of teaching and learning hours had not changed over the years. Both lecturers and students have to spend too much time at lecture halls.
In the past, Vietnam was warned that its university students had to fulfill too many credits to be able to graduate, while they did not have enough time to review the knowledge they learned at school.
The number of hours students have to spend at lectures remains unchanged, but lecturers’ teaching hours have increased.
Low salaries
A university lecturer with a bachelor’s degree can receive $183 a month on average from employers. Those with a master’s degree can receive $250, and those with a doctorate can receive $368. Management officers can receive $407 a month on average.
However, in Vietnam, “salary” does not necessarily mean “income”. The lecturers’ real income is calculated based on the number of teaching hours. This is one of the reasons lecturers offer private tutoring to earn extra income.
Lecturers at high-quality training programs can receive a salary that is much higher than average, but only 34 of those programs exist nationwide.
Ninety-five percent of lecturers said they had taken part in scientific research projects. Meanwhile, management officers said only 66 percent of lecturers had done so.
The management officers said that 49 percent of the schools’ research was funded by the state. Thirty-three percent comes from schools, 25 percent from businesses, and the remaining 30 percent from other funding sources.
Ha Anh