The young faculty members of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities account for 45.5% of the total teaching staff. With this percentage, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is one of the leading units within the Vietnam National University, Hanoi in rejuvenating its faculty. This is both an advantage and a challenge for the University's current personnel management. Ms. Ngo Thi Kieu Oanh, Deputy Head of the Organization and Personnel Department, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, discussed this issue with our reporter.
- Could you please tell us a little about the current situation of the CBT team at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities?First, we need to define who is considered a CBT (Chief Training Officer). Currently, there is no legal document specifying the age range for CBTs; each agency and unit has its own regulations. However, two age ranges are commonly chosen by units: under 40 years old or 35 years old and younger. For example, the Draft Law on Youth stipulates that youth is between 17 and 35 years old. Vietnam National University, Hanoi in general, and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in particular, define CBTs as those under 35 years old. Based on this criterion, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has 224 CBTs out of a total of 485 staff members, including 155 lecturers. Among the 155 young lecturers, there are 11 PhDs, 96 Master's degree holders, 78 doctoral candidates, and 25 postgraduate students; none are purely Bachelor's degree holders. The foreign language and computer skills of the young lecturers are relatively good. Fifty out of 155 young lecturers are members of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Female lecturers account for 67.7%, while male lecturers account for 32.3%. The percentage of young lecturers holding positions from Deputy Head of Department or higher is 17.4%.
- How does the school view the role and advantages of the CBT team?The CBT team at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities comprises nearly 50% of the university's faculty. This team consistently plays a crucial role in all aspects of the university's operations. The future development of any university depends on its CBT team, with young faculty members playing a decisive role. The academic strength and prestige of a university stem from the quality of its scientific staff. Therefore, maintaining the continuity and development of leading scientific staff from the CBT team is a strategic task for the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, especially as the university is persistently pursuing its path to becoming a world-class university in the next decade.
The overall picture of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities' CBT team above shows a high proportion of CBTs with relatively good qualifications. This is a strong and potential human resource that ensures a good future development for the University. In addition, they are highly dynamic, creative, eager to learn, and willing to take on challenges, acting as a driving force for innovation and creating a modern working atmosphere and style within the University. Due to the nature of being a basic science university, the recruitment of CBTs mostly consists of outstanding students retained by the University, who have a history of studying at the University. The University is well aware of each individual's abilities and strengths, making it easier to guide their development. In fact, over the years, the CBT team has consistently participated effectively in innovative and revolutionary activities of the University in many areas of training, research, and international cooperation. Every year, many outstanding young individuals are recognized by the University and Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their contributions to the University's development.
- According to the data, 7% of the CBT (Central Committee of the Department) hold a PhD, and 17.4% hold leadership and management positions from Deputy Head of Department upwards. How do you assess these figures?The figure of 7% of faculty members holding doctoral degrees is not high compared to the requirements, but it is not small either, given the specific characteristics of the social sciences and humanities. It should also be noted that 78 (over 50.32%) faculty members are currently pursuing doctoral degrees and will achieve the required qualifications in the near future. The remaining faculty members are still in the process of improving their professional skills according to the roadmap and requirements set by the University. The University is and will continue to seek various solutions, combining encouragement with clear accountability, to increase the percentage of young faculty members with doctoral degrees. The figure of 17.4% of faculty members holding management positions at various levels is, in my opinion, impressive, especially when compared to previous periods. This number signifies two things: Firstly, the University's trust and willingness to entrust responsibilities to the faculty members, based on recognizing their strengths and capabilities. The university has been pursuing a policy of rejuvenating its staff in general, and especially its leadership and management staff. This was considered a breakthrough during the 2009-2014 term. However, leadership and management is an extremely difficult task. It requires individuals with practical experience, a deep understanding of management skills, professional competence, and public prestige. Therefore, in addition to creating favorable conditions and environments for staff development, rejuvenating the leadership and management staff requires effective planning and training. Secondly, it requires the efforts, dedication, and self-affirmation of the staff. It should be added that, to be appointed to any leadership and management position, especially in specialized leadership and management within a higher education environment, one of the criteria must be academic qualifications. Each position will have corresponding academic qualifications required. In the future, as the percentage of CBTs holding doctoral degrees increases, the number of CBTs appointed to management and leadership positions will not remain at just 17.4%.
- A distinctive characteristic of researchers and lecturers in the social sciences and humanities is that they require a longer time to accumulate knowledge and professional experience compared to other fields. How does this affect the university's staffing?While other scientific disciplines may have more favorable starting points and shorter development processes, the social sciences and humanities do not have such advantages. Naturally, the longer study and experience accumulation period for staff members will inevitably affect the university's personnel management. Staff members primarily dedicate their time to further education, leaving little time for professional experience accumulation, thus requiring extended professional training. This must be considered when the university develops its staff development plans and strategies. It can be said that the process of training a staff member in the social sciences and humanities, from their initial starting point to achieving the required standards, is a long and arduous one, demanding a comprehensive approach from the university. Crucially, each staff member, upon joining the university, needs a specific development plan based on their initial foundation. On the other hand, the school also implements measures to accelerate the learning process and increase the professional experience of CBTs by allowing them to participate directly and actively in all aspects of the school's activities.
- For young staff members, the two most important factors affecting them are income and opportunities for professional development and creativity. How does the school address these issues?It can be said that, from the beginning, all policies and strategies for macro-level development to regulations issued at all levels of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities have always prioritized the interests of the faculty members in their studies and work, within the framework of state regulations and the specific conditions of the University. The University has issued many specific regulations for this group and regularly adjusts policies and regulations accordingly. For example, the annual adjustment of the internal expenditure regulations always focuses on prioritizing young faculty members. The University supports and rewards postgraduate students and doctoral candidates who are faculty members of the University and complete their courses on time and with good results; supports tuition and exam fees for IELTS and TOEFL courses to improve the foreign language proficiency of faculty members; rewards faculty members with scientific articles published in international journals or supports their participation in international scientific conferences; There is a system for early salary advancement… In addition, creating conditions for the development of professional competence and vocational skills is considered the top priority by the University. For young lecturers, training and self-training is an extremely arduous task, even a lifelong one. But from the age of 35, for young lecturers, it is the time to accumulate knowledge, the time to build momentum, and create a springboard for their careers. The more thoroughly a lecturer prepares during this period, the further they will go in their careers. And to support this development phase, young lecturers are assigned experienced staff to guide them during their probationary period as well as in long-term research directions, minimizing their participation in non-specialized work; they are given opportunities to participate in and immerse themselves in the academic environment of a leading training institution; and they exchange and learn from the experiences of senior lecturers and leading scientists. They are sent to study and exchange programs at many major training and research institutions both domestically and internationally… But this support is immeasurable, and it is more important for the growth of a CBT than any other priority. Along with professional growth, experience, and prestige, CBTs will have more opportunities to increase their income through their honed and developed skills. And from a positive perspective, this is a sustainable increase. In fact, with such a large number of young staff members, the University has made many efforts with many new solutions to gradually improve the quality of the CBT team and ensure their living conditions are getting better and better.
- In addition to providing opportunities, what requirements does the school set for young staff members?Naturally, providing favorable conditions must be accompanied by commensurate requirements. Faculty members must continuously improve in all aspects and successfully complete their assigned tasks. In addition to the standards stipulated in the university charter, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) also stipulates that the required qualification for VNU lecturers is a doctoral degree. Therefore, for young lecturers, the first task is to complete their studies and improve their qualifications to obtain a doctoral degree within the prescribed timeframe. The development strategy of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities until 2015 and vision for 2020 aims to build a team of faculty and staff meeting professional and technical standards; a strong team of leading scientists capable of meeting the requirements of training and scientific research at an international level. For lecturers to meet the standards, they must possess: 1) A doctoral degree; 2) Proficiency in at least one suitable foreign language; 3) The ability to apply advanced methods in teaching and research. Since 2015, the university has only recruited candidates with doctoral degrees for faculty positions. Therefore, it is clear that to become a lecturer at the university, candidates must be serious and strive to meet these standards.
- In order to develop a qualified team of young staff members under the current conditions of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, what do you consider the most important solution?In my opinion, there is no universal solution. No matter how good or feasible a solution is, it cannot change an entire team. A solution might be very effective in impacting a team from one perspective or at one time, but that doesn't mean it will also impact the team from another perspective. Therefore, to comprehensively develop young teaching staff, we must combine various solutions in a synchronized and harmonious way, linked to the fundamental principles of human resource development theory: planning, utilization, training, evaluation, and creating a conducive environment for their development. But first and foremost, we must reach a consensus and agreement among the leadership at all levels of the University, faculties, and departments to prioritize and comprehensively invest in the teaching staff. Secondly, in addition to policies and support regarding material resources, time, and working conditions, and prioritizing the training of lecturers to improve their qualifications, there should also be regulations requiring lecturers to complete and achieve the required academic degrees according to schedule, clearly stated in their employment contracts, with annual performance evaluation reports. Lecturers who fail to meet the required academic standards will have their contracts terminated and will be required to reimburse the funds provided by the university. Thirdly, based on a comparison of the required standards for a lecturer with the training needs of each individual, training and development needs should be categorized, thereby developing training and development plans suitable for each specific group and each specific period. Fourthly, the role of inspection and supervision at the department, faculty, and university levels regarding the learning and work of lecturers needs should be strengthened; the reporting of progress on training and professional development should be strictly implemented annually. Fifthly, the assignment of staff to directly assist lecturers in carrying out their work should be strictly implemented. Finally, the planning and recruitment of high-achieving CBT students from among the best students needs more attention and proactive action from the department.
