VietNamNet Bridge – Nguyen Hong Minh, Director General of the Department of Vocational Training, spoke to the newspaper Tin tuc (News) about some key changes in the Law on Vocational Education and Training.

Nguyen Hong Minh, Director General of the Department of Vocational Training.- Photo hungvuongtech.edu.vn

At the monthly cabinet meeting in last August, the Government decided to transfer the management of vocational education to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA). Has MOLISA implemented the decision?

Our ministry has prepared a guiding document to implement the Law on Vocational Education and Training, which will come into force in late 2016 or early 2017

We are asking all the vocational systems nationwide to review their activities and submit reports to the General Department of Vocational Training and to MOLISA.

Based on their reports, MOLISA will then issue guiding documents on how to recruit students and requirements to run vocational training schools or centers.

In addition, we also see the need to retrain vocational teachers so that they can meet the three required criteria set by MOLISA: a professional degree, pedagogical skills and occupational skills. We will also select some skills and professions which are much sought after in the region and the world in which to train students.

What will happen to the vocational colleges, vocational secondary schools and vocational training centres?

In the old system, the vocational and technical education system was subjected to the management of the Ministry of Education and Training, while vocational secondary schools and vocational training centres were under the management of MOLISA.

However, under the Law on Vocational Education and Training, these two systems will merge into one and these vocational institutions will be classified either as vocational secondary schools or colleges. However, some of the weak institutions will be eliminated. Whatever we are going to do in the future must ensure higher output quality.

There’s concern about vocational secondary schools or colleges specializing in the fields of health care, arts or culture being placed under the management of MOLISA?

Here I just want to emphasise, under the Government’s decree, MOLISA is assigned as a state management agency while the Ministry of Public Health or the Ministry of Culture will take responsibility for overseeing and running the curriculums according to their expertise.

Do you anticipate any problems among the three ministries during implementation of the law?

I don’t see any problem. Our ministry only assumes the state management function while the other two have to get involved in monitoring the course quality.

In the first year, of course, there will be some challenges in merging the old system into the new.

However, Article 9 of the Law on Vocational Education and Training states clearly that students will be provided with favorable conditions to switch to the new system in accordance to their capabilities. The deans of vocational secondary schools or colleges are vested with the power to make their own decision on a case by case basis.

Eventually, Viet Nam will have a national framework divided into eight levels. Requirements for each level will be clearly laid out. But they are all closely linked to ensure a smooth flow between the levels. We hope when the law comes into force, it will help overcome the shortcomings and weaknesses of the previous laws on vocational education and training.

VNS