The increase of university tuition to 240,000 dong a month and swine flu have been cited by Dan Tri newspaper as two of the most outstanding education issues of 2009.
1. University tuition ceiling raised to 240,000 dong: On August 21 the Prime Minister raised university tuitions from 180,000 dong to 240,000 dong per month. The tuition adjustment is part of the National Assembly’s Resolution on renovating education and training finances. Tuition hikes have brought new worries to students burdened with higher daily expenses, room rents and other study costs. Many question if higher tuitions mean higher quality in education.
2. MOET drafts strategy for education development in 2009-2020: The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) announced plans for education development in 2009-2020, but it was not welcomed. Many believe that the ministry needs to devise a more scientific and feasible strategy. Experts have pointed out that the time frame is not realistic and planners did not consult prestigious scientists and teachers from universities or education institutes. The plan’s goals are termed both unnecessary and unfeasible.
3. The future of multiple university entrance exams undecided: MOET tried multiple times to end university entrance exams and organize a single test for both high schools and universities, but the public has not supported the measure.
4. Many schools became hospitals to fight A/H1N1 flu: On July 19, 2009, Ngo Thoi Nhiem High School in HCM City became the first school in Vietnam to serve as a hospital to fight swine flu. Other schools followed, becoming makeshift hospitals with physicians, ambulances and medical equipment.
5. Schools try to renovate teaching and learning methods: Many schools have sought to improve teaching and learning methods to replace older approaches that have been criticized as “out of date and ineffective.” Luong Dinh Cua Primary School in HCM City, for example, organised group-based classes to shift to student-centered teaching methods. The HCM City Education and Training Department supported these changes.
6. Too many school fees frighten students’ parents: Education inspection tours discovered that schools collected too many fees and burdening parents and students. One primary school in Hanoi, for example, had a long list of 23 fees, which included unreasonable items such as the “tree care fund.” MOET instructed local education departments to examine university fee collection and impose heavy punishments on schools that collect fees in excess of the levels stipulated by MOET.
7. Many universities unable to meet basic requirements: In 2009, MOET discovered a lot of non-state universities that cannot meet requirements on land, permanent and visiting lecturers and curricula to organize classes. MOET also admitted its shortcomings in higher education management.
8. School morality emerged as a burning problem: People have demanded the reorganization of morality instruction for students, after many cases of students assaulting teachers after receiving low grades.
9. Short skirts banned: On October 5, 2009, MOET revised school uniform regulations to explicitly stipulate that students must wear skirts that reach knee-level. The requirement has not pleased many students, who believe that this regulation is too rigid.
10. Vietnam boasts outstanding young doctors: 2009 is the year of success for many young Vietnamese doctors. Dr Bui The Duy, Dean of the Information Technology of the Hanoi University of Technology at Hanoi National University, was granted the title of associate professor on November 20, 2009, becoming the youngest associate professor at age 31.
Dr Nguyen Hoang Long, 26, has become the first Vietnamese lecturer at Oxford University.
Time Magazine announced its top ten list for 2009, which includes Professor Ngo Bao Chau’s solution of the “fundamental lemma.” VietNamNet/Dan tri
I spoke at an international workshop today for teachers and educational leaders, sponsored by 
State Int’l Education Consortia: Strength in Unity
06/12/2009A recent phenomenon in U.S. higher education has been the creation of state consortia as a cost-effective means of promoting a state’s colleges and universities overseas as well as raising the profile of that state.
Aside from the many well-known intrinsic benefits of hosting international students, there is the economic justification. The 671,616 international students in the U.S. contribute $17.8 billion to the U.S. economy through their expenditures on tuition and living expenses, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. New York, for example, has 74,934 international students who collectively contribute nearly $2 billion to the state’s economy.
State international education consortia are a classic example of “strength in numbers” and cooperation/collaboration being driven by, in some cases, draconian budget cuts. Some have an explicit link with economic development initiatives (bravo!) and even cooperate with other states. Study Illinois, for example, list the following goals:
Here is a list of active consortia with links to websites, some multilingual, that provide basic information about institutions of higher education and their states
While I admire the entrepreneurial spirit of counties and cities that attempt to promote higher education in their areas, it could become a tad overwhelming for international students looking for schools in a country as large as the U.S. It’s enough that there are 50 states. On the other hand, some cities and counties are more visionary and proactive than the states in which they’re located.
Most states, including some that rank among the top five, could substantially increase the number of Vietnamese young people studying at their colleges and universities given the proper investment in marketing and promotion in Vietnam. There is a long list of ideas and possibilities, depending upon breadth of vision, depth of commitment (short-, medium- or long-term) and level of funding.
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Tags: international students, state consortia
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