Improving the quality of vocational education, from 'asking for permission' to autonomy

Nâng chất giáo dục nghề nghiệp, từ 'xin phép' đến tự chủ - Ảnh 1. — Mr. Huynh Thanh Dat - Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department - Photo: HA QUAN

On the afternoon of September 11, the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission and the Ministry of Education and Training held a workshop on orientation of autonomy and accountability in vocational training institutions in the spirit of Resolution 71 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in education and training development.

Eliminate old notions of autonomy

Mr. Huynh Thanh Dat - Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission - emphasized that Resolution 71 of the Politburo affirms a fundamental change in the Party's thinking on educational management.

That is to eliminate the notion that "only financially self-sufficient institutions enjoy autonomy", making autonomy a principled right of all vocational education institutions, regardless of size or financial capacity.

"Autonomy is not only limited to financial issues, but also reflected in proactively developing and implementing training programs, innovating teaching methods, organizing the apparatus, developing staff, expanding international cooperation and closely connecting with businesses and the labor market," said Mr. Huynh Thanh Dat.

Besides the progress, Mr. Dat said that the vocational education system still has many limitations, such as "half-hearted" autonomy, many schools have to wait for permission in things that "could have been proactive", creativity is limited, accountability is unclear, data lacks transparency, and the monitoring mechanism is still formal...

He hopes that the results of the workshop will be a valuable reference source, helping the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission and the Ministry of Education and Training advise the Politburo and the Secretariat on specific, practical and feasible solutions, quickly putting the spirit of Resolution 71 into practice.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Tien Dong - Principal of Ly Thai To College, autonomy in vocational education is not only a right, but also a responsibility.

For example, schools proactively cooperate with businesses according to the 1+1+1 model, which is 1 year of theory at school, 1 year of study at the training center and 1 year of work at the business.

Thereby, the rate of students having jobs in the right field of training is increased. The data is public, transparent, considered as a commitment to explain to society and parents.

The school also strengthens cooperation with Japanese partners in precision molding and semiconductor engineering and with Chinese partners in computer vision.

nghề nghiệp - Ảnh 2.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tien Dong - Principal of Ly Thai To College - Photo: HA QUAN

From "control" to "supervision"

Mr. Vu Tri Tien - Vice Principal of Bach Mai Medical College - shared the spirit of "not imposing old standards on a modern education".

With the advantage of the autonomous model, every year the school trains many students and trainees of all levels, revenue increases rapidly, or orients to build a new facility of dozens of hectares in Ninh Binh province.

Therefore, Mr. Tien proposed to complete the legal framework for the health sector, develop a "dual" team of lecturers - doctors, encourage cooperation between businesses - hospitals - research institutes...

Through the discussions, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc assessed that vocational training institutions have proactively designed training programs, opened new occupations, and linked them to the needs of businesses and the labor market. Some institutions have streamlined their apparatus, improved transparency and accountability.

Deputy Minister Phuc pointed out many lessons such as connecting businesses and society is a key factor to ensure the sustainability of autonomy, the State continues to play the role of "creating and ensuring" through ordering, assigning tasks, providing basic funding...

International experience shows a trend of shifting from "control" to "supervision", expanding rights for establishments along with strict accountability mechanisms.

The workshop also agreed to study and propose amendments and supplements to regulations on the autonomy of vocational training institutions in appointing positions and attracting talent...