Universities with partial autonomy struggle with finances

Some universities have been given autonomy, or the right to determine their training plans and financial issues, but still cannot make important decisions which affect their survival.

While universities have repeatedly called on the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) to give autonomy, and state’s officials, in their speeches, have announced support of the policy, the number of such schools remains modest.

Only 14 out of nearly 200 state-owned universities are operating under the autonomy principle.

Autonomy means self-determination for schools. They can make decisions on many issues including the enrollment plan, tuition, syllabi and scientific research, while they have to make money to maintain their operation.

An educator commented that in Vietnam autonomy means self-control in financial issues. Schools do not receive money from the State, and have to manage to get money to maintain their operation and provide training services.

They can set the tuition without asking for permission from MOET and make spending decisions.

But schools still do not have the right to make decisions related to their professional training and personnel. This could be the reason that some schools hesitate to operate under the autonomy mode.

“It is just like tying someone’s legs and telling him to run,” the educator said.

‘Financial autonomy’ in Vietnam is understood as placing state-owned universities in the market economy and telling them to to survive. The schools have to compete with other state schools and with privately-run and foreign invested schools.

Competition is good for all because it is a driving force for development, but healthy and fair competition is needed.

Nguyen Ngoc Thao Trang from the Finance & Marketing University commented that Vietnam applied only partial autonomy, which does not reflect trends around the world.

In 2005, MOET released a decision asking five state-owned schools that follow the autonomy policy to take care of regular expenses as state-owned enterprises and set their spending higher than normal if they want.

However, the schools still have to follow regulations stipulated in Decisions 70 and 49 on tuition.

Nguyen Truong Giang from the Ministry of Finance stressed that in principle, schools can determine the tuition level, but this does not mean they set sky-high tuition levels.

Since schools cannot seek higher sources of income from tuition, they have to seek other sources. That is why schools have been expanding their training scale and opening more and more training courses.

Nam Thanh / vietnamnet