Higher Education Quality Accreditation: A Matter of Survival

From 2016 to 2020, more than 95% of educational institutions and training programs must be externally evaluated and considered for recognition as meeting quality standards.

On November 13, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) announced the decision to establish and license the Higher Education Quality Accreditation Center of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. This is the second center, after the Quality Accreditation Center of Vietnam National University Hanoi, tasked with accrediting the quality of educational institutions and higher education as well as vocational training programs within the national education system.

5 Years, 95% of Universities Must Be Externally Evaluated

At the seminar “Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Education: The Path to International Integration,” organized on the same day by Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, experts from various domestic and foreign universities stated that quality accreditation is an effective step toward international integration.

This process is implemented first at the program level, and then at the institutional level. Accreditation helps monitor quality, ensure accountability to society, build trust among learners, and especially achieve international recognition.

However, in recent times, higher education quality accreditation work has still been left somewhat open and incomplete. The establishment of the first two accreditation centers under Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam National University Hanoi will contribute to promoting this important work.

Contributions from Delegates on Higher Education Quality Accreditation

Delegates provided feedback on higher education quality assurance and accreditation activities.

Dr. Pham Xuan Thanh, Deputy Director General of the Department of Testing and Educational Quality Accreditation under MOET, stated that currently 92% of universities and colleges have completed self-assessment reports and quality improvement activities, and are ready to register for accreditation.

More than 70% of higher education institutions and vocational training institutions have dedicated units responsible for quality assurance, with personnel and annual plans to implement quality assurance activities within their institutions.

The upcoming direction is to accelerate the implementation of the second and third rounds of self-assessment for higher education and vocational training institutions; to carry out self-assessment of higher education programs; and to strive so that by 2016–2020, 95% of higher education institutions, vocational training institutions, and higher education programs will complete self-assessment reports and undergo external evaluation.

In the same period, 95% of institutions and programs are expected to be externally evaluated and considered for recognition as meeting quality standards.

According to Mr. Thanh, in addition to the two newly licensed accreditation organizations, more state-run quality accreditation organizations will be established in the near future. After 2015, organizations and individuals will also be allowed to establish education quality accreditation bodies.

Survival Factor

According to representatives from the University of Economics and Law – Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, quality assurance, accreditation, and university ranking have become one of the top concerns in higher education. They are considered a survival factor for affirming reputation, position, and integration into global higher education. However, there are still several difficulties, such as insufficient understanding of quality assurance work, a lack of professionalism in the workforce, and limited financial resources for investing in quality improvement activities.

Many delegates argued that in the coming period, it is necessary to overcome shortcomings in quality assurance activities and identify effective models of education quality assurance that can be applied widely. Universities must also be honest, objective, transparent, and public in implementing this work.

Master Đinh Tuan Dung, Director of the Advanced Training Center for Excellence and POHE – National Economics University, proposed establishing a quality assurance network among universities by disciplinary groups such as engineering, economics, business management, and medicine–pharmacy, in order to develop common accreditation standards for each field.

“Universities with similar training programs need to be assessed based on common standards to ensure scientific validity in evaluation,” Mr. Dung said.

Dr. Đo Huu Tai, Rector of Lac Hong University, pointed out that as Vietnam increasingly integrates deeply into the international system, especially with the formation of the ASEAN Community in 2015, if Vietnamese higher education does not want to fall behind, the education quality assurance model must be studied urgently and seriously to align with regional standards.

Permitted to Issue Certificates of Educational Quality Recognition

The Higher Education Quality Accreditation Centers of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam National University Hanoi will verify self-assessment reports on quality and organize external evaluation teams to conduct on-site assessments at educational institutions.

The Accreditation Council of these two centers will appraise the quality of training programs and educational institutions based on self-assessment reports and reports from external expert evaluation teams.

If an educational institution or training program meets quality standards, the council will propose that the director of the accreditation center issue a decision and grant a certificate of educational quality accreditation to institutions that fully meet the required conditions.

Text and photos: Huy Lan