Reforming Higher Education in Vietnam: Challenges and Priorities

Description

Here is a comprehensive and scholarly review of various dimensions of the higher education system in Vietnam. The book comes at a crucial time for this South East Asian country’s learning institutions. Vietnam is a dynamic regional player and, like its neighbors, is seeking rapid development of its higher education system. Since reform was first mooted in 1993, the numbers of young people going on to higher education have increased dramatically – up from 2 per cent in the early 1990s to over 13 per cent at present, and a higher system that was once comprised entirely of small, specialised institutions has been transformed into one in which the leading universities are large, multidisciplinary and progressively developing a research capability. Vietnam’s current approach to reform of its higher education system is extremely ambitious. Some argue that the nation may be at risk of attempting to do too much too quickly. By 2020, for example, Vietnam expects its higher education system to be advanced by modern standards and highly competitive internationally. This optimistic vision faces many challenges. The economy’s rapid growth masks a reliance on unskilled labor and the exploitation of natural resources, while decision-making in many areas of public life continues to be hamstrung by over-regulation and centralized control. A great many goals and objectives have been set for reform of the higher education system during the next decade. Realising these aspirations will require some difficult shifts in the management culture, as well as a great deal more public investment. Against this backdrop, the chapters included in this book cover a wide range of relevant topics, including the recent history of the higher education system, its structure and governance, and its teaching and learning culture. Chapters also examine Vietnamese universities’ research and research commercialization environment, their socio-economic impact, strategic planning processes, progress with quality accreditation, and their experience of internationalization and privatization. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Higher Education in Vietnam: Reform, Challenges and Priorities....Pages 1-13 Vietnam’s Higher Education System....Pages 14-29 Higher Education in Vietnam 1986–1998: Education in Transition to a New Era?....Pages 31-49 The Higher Education Reform Agenda: A Vision for 2020....Pages 51-64 Reforming Teaching and Learning in Vietnam’s Higher Education System....Pages 65-86 The Research Role of Vietnam’s Universities....Pages 87-102 Research–Industry Cooperation Supporting Development in Vietnam: The Challenge of Translating Policy into Practice....Pages 103-115 Intellectual Property and Vietnam’s Higher Education System....Pages 117-127 Reforming the Governance of Higher Education in Vietnam....Pages 129-142 Processes for Strategic Planning in Vietnam’s Higher Education System....Pages 143-154 Processes of Modernisation in Two Public Universities in Vietnam: University Managers’ Perspectives....Pages 155-166 Optimising the Impact of Vietnam’s Higher Education Sector on Socio-Economic Development....Pages 167-181 Accreditation in Vietnam’s Higher Education System....Pages 183-195 Internationalisation of Vietnamese Higher Education: Retrospect and Prospect....Pages 197-213 Private Higher Education in Vietnam....Pages 215-225 Back Matter....Pages 227-232