There will be two modes of training - concentrated and non-concentrated

Nguyen Thi Kim Phung, director of the Higher Education Department, said the draft law stipulates two modes of training – concentrated and non-concentrated. The latter will comprise part-time and distance training. Under current laws, tertiary education is divided into two forms – full-time and continuous training.

Phung said that the only difference between concentrated and non-concentrated training is the mode of training, while the curricula, lecturers, organizations, exams and graduates’ standards are the same.

MOET’s idea has faced strong opposition from the public. 

“I cannot understand why MOET wants to equate full-time with in-service training. It is undeniable that the quality of in-service training is lower than full-time training, while full-time training graduates are better than in-service ones,” a reader said in an email to VietNamNet. 

“The low qualification of in-service training graduates explains why they are refused by employers,” he wrote.

Da Nang City authorities, in an effort to improve the workforce at state agencies, have stated that they will not recruit in-service training graduates, though the degrees awarded to full-time and in-service training graduates have the same legal value.

Even educators think MOET’s idea is unreasonable. 

Dao Trong Thi, former director of the Hanoi National University, admitted that the quality of in-service training is ‘limited’ and the in-service training has been expanded too rapidly in localities.

“In current conditions, when training establishments still cannot control the examination and assessment of students’ abilities, it would be better to show the training mode on the degree. This will allow employers to find workers who can satisfy their requirements,” Thi said.

An analyst commented that many schools try to enroll as many students as possible for in-service training in order to increase revenue, and don’t care much about quality.

“Students just need to register for training courses and pay tuition to get a bachelor’s degree,” he said. 

In principle, only students who pass the entrance exam can attend in-service training courses. However, in fact, no one fails the exam.

“Therefore, in-service training degree means zero to employers,” he said, adding that this will be unfair for full-time training graduates because their quality is not recognized.

Vo Kim Son, former Head of State and Personnel Management Faculty of the National Academy of Public Administration, warned that officials may exploit the new regulation to get a job promotion.

“MOET should think of reforming the training management method and curricula first before thinking of changes in the degree,” Son said.

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Mai Thanh