Universities should apply credit system; experts

In efforts to stop Vietnam’s “brain drain”, educational experts recently proposed the implementation of a credit system in universities, which they said would improve the quality of education in the country.
In recent years, with fewer Vietnamese students returning to their home country after going abroad to study, many academics have held discussions to come up with ways to re-ignite students’ interests in studying at domestic universities.
Applying the credit system in university is one solution with many advantages, said Dr Nguyen Thien Tong, the dean of Aeronautics Technology Department at HCM City Polytechnic University.
Currently, university students are required to take the same courses in their degree programmes, which limit their choices, said academics. The credit system would help students control their studying plans and give them the ability to choose some courses that are suited to their academic abilities, said Dr Tong. He added that the credit system would not only be appropriate at university, but also at college and other post-secondary institutions and even high school.
The credit system would allow high school students the chance to take some university courses, said Dr Tong. Similarly, students in bachelor programmes could receive early credits for post-graduate education. Nguyen Cam, director of the Teaching Technology Department at the Pedagogy Institute of HCM City University of Teacher Training, said that the high school curriculum should be streamlined to allow students to focus on specific subjects that are essential for university entrance into certain programmes.
Top students could then have more time to earn some early university credits after getting approval from the universities, said Cam. Thus, they could finish their university programmes earlier, he added. Recently, the HCM City Polytechnic University has allowed fourth-year students to study some master’s programme courses. Consequently, these students will not need to take these courses again if they decide to continue for their master’s degree.
Educational experts also suggested that the Education Ministry consider granting universities more “self-determination” rights and allowing universities to collaborate with one another to design training programmes that meet student demands.

 

Category: Finance