Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh - Principal of the school - answered an interview with GD&TĐ Newspaper about the topic of integration to develop and improve the quality of education and training.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh - Principal of the school - answered an interview with GD&TĐ Newspaper about the topic of integration to develop and improve the quality of education and training.
The University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU) was formerly the University of Letters, established by President Ho Chi Minh on October 10, 1945, with the aim of bringing the country's science to "keep up with the pace of advanced countries in the world". Currently, the University has 14 faculties, 3 affiliated departments and 11 centers, training more than 13,000 students in various fields and levels of social sciences and humanities. Promoting the tradition over the years, the University continues to develop and mature in all fields to maintain the leading position in the country in undergraduate and postgraduate training, reaching the level of advanced universities in the region and the world.
PV: As the Principal, could you briefly introduce the general development process of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities to the readers of the Newspaper?
Professor Nguyen Van Khanh:After the August Revolution, on October 10, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh signed Decree No. 45/SL to establish the University of Literature in Hanoi. On November 15, 1945, Vietnam National University, including the University of Literature, held the opening ceremony of the first academic year at 19 Le Thanh Tong, Hanoi. On June 4, 1956, in response to the country's development needs, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 2183/PC to establish the General University, the predecessor of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, under the current Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
From 1956 to 1995, the school had a period of strong development as a leading center for basic science research and training in the country, effectively serving the cause of building and defending the Fatherland. The team of professors and leading scientists of the country worked, contributing their strength and intelligence to the development of the school. The most basic foundations of Vietnamese science were built and affirmed. Also from this school, many staff and students heroically sacrificed for the glorious revolutionary cause of the nation. In 1993, on the foundation of the social sciences and humanities of Hanoi National University, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities was officially established and became a member of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
Reporter: It is known that the school is a pioneer in applying the credit-based training method and has brought high efficiency in improving training quality. Can you tell us more about this new method?
Professor Nguyen Van Khanh:According to the direction of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan, by 2020, Vietnam must have several schools in the top 200 universities in the world. To achieve the above goal, our universities need to make great efforts. As a leading university and postgraduate training center, a core member of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities also determines its own direction and implementation solutions. The goal is to be in the top universities in the region by the second decade of the 21st century, gradually reaching international standards. In order to achieve that goal, from 2007 to present, the Party Committee and the Board of Directors of the school have focused on directing the implementation of the following important tasks:
Firstly, to convert to credit-based training method to create a breakthrough in the quality of education and training. This is a solution that requires both teachers and students to try their best. In order for teachers to teach with quality, they must focus on updating knowledge and improving their qualifications; on the other hand, they must regularly evaluate students throughout the learning process, from their attitude to their learning results in class, preparing discussion content, and finally the final exam results. For students, to have good learning results, they need to be proactive and creative, actively participating in lectures in class, proactively researching, finding documents, and completing exercises assigned by teachers.
Second, most universities in the world now train according to credits. Vietnamese higher education wants to integrate and develop, it also needs to transform. Training in this direction helps domestic students to easily transfer or continue studying at foreign universities if they have the same major. In Hanoi National University, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is the first school to switch to credit-based training. To prepare for this conversion, since 2003, the school's leaders have organized many delegations of managers and scientists to study credit-based training experiences in countries with more advanced higher education such as China, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. Currently, the school has completed the conversion of subjects to the form of credit accumulation, including 21 undergraduate training programs, 28 master's training programs and 29 doctoral majors. The total number of subject outlines converted to the credit-based training method is about 2,000.
PV: So, credit-based training is also a solution to improve the quality of education and training. According to the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Training: Universities must publicize the quality, finances and employment of students after graduation. How has the school implemented it in practice?
Prof. Nguyen Van Khanh: From the 2008-2009 school year, our school started to implement credit-based training for first- and second-year students. I think that the nature of credit-based training is to create initiative and high choice for students. Students have the right to choose their teachers and subjects. This also means that each subject must have at least 2 teachers. As for students in the last two years, the school thoroughly applies the positive elements of the credit-based training method. Students' learning outcomes are divided into 2 points: attitude and learning process account for 40% - 50%, final exam results account for 50% - 60% of the subject results. This assessment method forces students to constantly try hard during their learning process.
At the same time, the University is very interested in the assessment work and has also started to organize the assessment of the quality of lecturers' lectures through the form of asking students' opinions (by secret ballot) since 2008. At the beginning, there were also some disagreements because they thought that students were not capable of assessing the capacity of their teachers. But up to now, this activity has been carried out normally and has received the agreement and response of the teaching staff and students. Through the assessment, teachers as well as the school's management department know the strengths and weaknesses of teachers in teaching, thereby helping teachers gain experience, constantly improve their knowledge, and innovate methods to better meet the needs of learners. I would also like to add that the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is 1/20 of Vietnamese universities that have organized internal and external assessment. At the same time, it is also the first university in the Vietnam National University, Hanoi to establish a Center for Training Quality Assurance.
The school also pays great attention to its training products. The first thing the school does is to review its training products and evaluate the employment situation of students after graduation. If there is a high demand for any industry, it will continue to develop and expand; if there is no high demand for any industry in society, it will reduce the scale of training to avoid waste. I also want to discuss more about the concept of training to meet social needs. In my opinion, it is necessary to understand social needs, including both immediate and long-term needs, current needs and future needs. If we only focus on training immediate needs without taking into account the needs in the upcoming development stages, it will be very difficult and then 10-15 years later, Vietnam will inevitably become dependent on other countries. For example, we are currently focusing on exploiting and using thermal and hydroelectric power sources, but a few decades later, when natural resources are exhausted, we must turn to nuclear power sources. Let's ask, if we don't train now, where will we get the human resources to produce electricity for use? Or, currently, the need for space technology has not been directly raised, but in 5, 10, 15 years, will Vietnam be able to master space and develop the aerospace industry without engineers and space scientists trained and prepared from today? Therefore, we must focus on training to serve immediate needs while paying due attention to the needs of society and the country in the future.
To strengthen the connection with the labor market, since 2008, the school has signed a contract with the Vietnam Association of Business Administrators. Based on this relationship, the school wants to expand its cooperation activities in the field of training, guiding students in internships, practical training, thesis and dissertation guidance, expanding the internship area..., helping students get acquainted with practical work in enterprises. Through that, it creates opportunities for students to find jobs while still in school.
PV: In the context of global international integration, what has the school done to soon reach the level of an advanced university in the region and internationally, Professor?
Professor Nguyen Van Khanh:I think international integration is an inevitable trend. This is both a requirement and a huge challenge for Vietnamese universities. To create an international environment and gradually improve the quality of training, we continue to expand international training cooperation activities. Up to now, the school has cooperated and linked international training with a number of foreign universities, such as building and implementing joint training programs in the form of 3+1 and 2+2 at the undergraduate level with a number of Chinese universities such as: Guangxi University, Guangxi University of Nationalities and Guangdong Foreign Languages and Foreign Trade... Hopefully in the coming years, the number of joint training schools will continue to increase. With the 3+1 joint training form, students will study 3 years in China, 1 year in Vietnam, and the diploma will be granted by a Chinese university. For students studying in the form of 2+2, the school is proposing to be granted 2 degrees. Through joint training, the school has attracted more than 300 international students, of which Chinese students account for about 90%. In addition, every year, about 250 international students from many different continents choose to study Vietnamese studies and Vietnamese language at the school.
[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2009/02/17/img_9278.jpg" border="0" alt="A corner of the yard of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities" title="A corner of the yard of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities" width="213" height="320" align="left" ]For postgraduate training, the school has cooperated with Toulouse II University of France to train 3 majors:Organizational management;Child and Adolescent Developmental Psychology; Hotel Management. The first two majors are taught in French, the third major is taught in English. The three programs are funded by the French Government and the Francophone University Organization in Asia and the Pacific (AUF). The basic training program is that of the partner university, but some subjects are adjusted to suit the reality of Vietnam. 3/4 of the teachers are foreigners.
In addition, the school also focuses on establishing and expanding student exchange cooperation with a number of prestigious foreign universities such as Long Beach University, Los Angeles University, California State University, Princeton University (USA), Tokyo University, Osaka University, Waseda University (Japan), Beijing University, Seoul National University (Korea)... These are solutions to create an international environment to improve the quality of training for Vietnam's higher education in general and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in particular. In addition, from the 2008-2009 school year, the school also implemented 3 majors and majors that reached international standards:BA in Linguistics, MA in Vietnamese History and PhD in Ancient and Medieval Vietnamese HistoryThe school has also just signed a cooperation agreement with two leading hotel groups in France and Malaysia to jointly train Masters in Hotel Management. These businesses not only provide scholarships to students, but also commit to recruiting and finding jobs for students after graduation.
PV: Staff training and scientific research are important tasks of universities. With the specific characteristics of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, how is this work carried out?
Prof. Nguyen Van Khanh: The role of the teacher is decisive in the quality of education and training. We care about training staff in both professional and foreign languages. We are very proud that this is a school associated with the names of scientists, culturalists, and famous professors such as: Dang Thai Mai, Tran Van Giau, Dao Duy Anh, Tran Duc Thao, Cao Xuan Huy, Hoang Xuan Nhi, Dinh Xuan Lam, Phan Huy Le, Ha Van Tan, Tran Quoc Vuong, Nguyen Tai Can, Dinh Gia Khanh, Phan Cu De, Ha Minh Duc, Hoang Nhu Mai, Le Dinh Ki, Tran Dinh Huou.... Up to now, the school has had 8 professors awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize; 11 professors awarded the State Prize for Science and Technology; 23 teachers awarded the title of People's Teacher; 50 teachers awarded the title of Excellent Teacher. Currently, the school has 12,500 students, 540 staff, including 400 teachers (17% Professors, Associate Professors; 33% PhDs; nearly 80% have a master's degree or higher), striving to have 75% of lecturers with PhD degrees by 2015. The teaching staff is increasingly younger, currently the number of lecturers under 35 years old accounts for about 50%. This is an advantage but also a big challenge for a university aiming for international standards.
Scientific research is also emphasized. Every year, the school's staff conducts nearly 100 scientific projects at all levels; in particular, since 2008, the school has presided over 5 national-level projects. In addition, the school also organizes many large international conferences, attracting the participation of famous scientists from many countries, which are highly appreciated by friends, such as the ConferenceDien Bien Phu - 50 years in review, Seminar100 years of research and teaching of social sciences and humanities in Vietnam, SeminarKorea and Korean Studies in the Asia-Pacific Region,International Conference on Vietnam StudiesThe third time..., Currently, the School is focusing its efforts to further promote the implementation ofSix programs aimed at standardizing and modernizing all aspects of operations; accelerate the development of a team of lecturers with PhD degrees; organize the transition to credit-based training at both university and postgraduate levels; diversify training types and improve training quality to meet social needs; develop and implement a number of large-scale, highly interdisciplinary projects linking scientific research with training to international standards and the socio-economic development requirements of the country and the capital; expand international cooperation programs on training and scientific research, especially postgraduate training linkage programs; implement administrative reforms, promote the application of IT; find solutions to increase revenue and increase in-depth investment in infrastructure.
To achieve the goal of becoming one of the leading universities in Southeast Asia and Asia in the second decade of this century, in addition to the extraordinary efforts of the staff and generations of students of the school, it is necessary to have stronger and more effective encouragement and support from the Party and the State, from all levels and sectors, first of all from VNU Hanoi and the Ministry of Education and Training in terms of mechanisms, policies and investment resources...
Thank you Professor Nguyen Van Khanh for this interview!
•Vietnam China (perform)
According toEducation and the Times
Author:i333
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