The State’s Role in Strategy of the Implementation of Higher Education’s Self-Governance in Vietnam

Abstract

This scientific paper evaluates and classifies the current degree of self-governance of Vietnam higher education institutions as well as the State’s role (through policy system) in the implementation of the self-governance’s strategy of Vietnam (shown in 5 different levels: Very high, high, medium, low, very low). In this paper, we used some methods, such as specific research method of survey, international experience’ reference and refer to and survey the trends, the nature of the higher education self-governance in a number of universities around the world. The results of the paper show that the levels of the higher education’s self-governance are inversely proportional to the State intervention. That is, higher education institution is more in self-governance, then the State mainly performs the supervisory function; the higher education institution is less in self-governance, then the State mainly performs a control function. Besides, Vietnam higher education institutions are considered by the most of the respondents to be average, low and low and very low levels in their self-governance; especially in the financial realm in which including the right to pay for the lecturers by agreement, tuition, material infrastructure and financial expenditure. That is, most of Vietnam higher education institutions do not have much self-governance, it is synonymous with that the State’s control role is still very large, while its supervision’s role is limited. The opinions of the respondents also showed that the function of State management was not changed or changed slowly compared with the development trend of the higher education system. Based on the above-mentioned assessment of the State’s role, the authors recommend: • For the State: To build a number of world-class universities in the Vietnamese conditions; To convert a management model from control’s model to monitoring one; To enhance the State management’s effectiveness and efficiency; To reduce the State’s intervention toward the universities. • For the higher education institutions: Be active, be creative and to take the initiative; To determine and identify an opportunities and challenges in higher education’s self-governance; To train and foster the staff of lecturers; To reform goals & targets, objectives, contents, methods and training’s programs; To increase a transparency and social accountability.