‘Tien si du lich cuoi tuan’ (Dr Travel on Weekend) is the phrase used by local people in Quy Nhon City of Binh Dinh province when talking about Le Kim Toan, deputy secretary of the Binh Dinh provincial Party Committee, a National Assembly deputy in the 2016-2021 term, who has a doctorate in education management.

Le Kim Toan is on the list of nominees for the posts of members of the 2015-2020 Binh Dinh provincial Party’s Executive Committee submitted to the 19th Conference of the Binh Dinh Party Committee in October 2015. On the list, Toan’s qualification was shown as PhD in education management. 

Le Kim Toan once again appeared on the list of candidates for National Assembly’s Deputies released in April 2016. However, on the list, his qualification was shown as MA in education management.

Le Kim Toan is on the list of nominees for the posts of members of the 2015-2020 Binh Dinh provincial Party’s Executive Committee submitted to the 19th Conference of the Binh Dinh Party Committee in October 2015.

Many veteran leaders of Binh Dinh province have sent letters to the top leaders of the State and Party asking to clarify if Toan has master’s degree or doctorate, and if he has a doctorate, show where and what he studied.

Hung confirmed that in the personnel record, Toan declared that he has a doctorate in education management after finishing a full-time training course at Bulacan State University in the Philippines.

In a document released by the Binh Dinh provincial Steering Party Committee in September 2011, Toan, 46, was sent to a postgraduate training course organized by the Dai Nam University in Hanoi and Bulacan State from September 2011 to September 2013. The study and the preparation for dissertation were implemented in Hanoi (four days a month), while the dissertation defending was in the Philippines.

“The Finance Department disbursed VND386 million to fund Toan’s study, including $10,800 for tuition,” Hung said.

“As far I know, Toan went abroad every month and he paid for travel expenses,” he said.

The copy of the doctorate granted by Bulacan State University to Toan on December 7, 2013 only showed that this was a doctorate in education management, while it did not show ‘full time training’.

Prior to that, in January 2015, local newspapers quoted Tran Van Nghia, deputy head of the Ministry of Education and Training’s Examination and Education Accreditation Department as reporting that training courses designed by some universities in Vietnam in accordance with the curricula of Bulacan State University, are just short-term training courses. MOET does not recognize degrees after such short-term training courses.

Tien Phong