VietNamNet Bridge - A few days ago, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Bui Van Ga claimed in an interview "no country in the world has doctoral training as cheap as in Vietnam". Ga’s comment has become a hot topic on social network sites.

This article has a different view. This is the personal view of the author only. 

Cheap but extremely expensive

Perhaps it is unsatisfactory to reach the conclusion that doctoral training in Vietnam is cheap if we just look at the annual average cost of VND15 million for doctoral training in Vietnam, compared to around US$15,000 in many developed countries. We should be fair and objective to answer all these following questions before making that conclusion.

Firstly, VND15 million is the total expenditure or just state funding or tuition paid by each postgraduate? Does it include infrastructure cost and allowances for instructors? How many classes will postgraduates have a week? How many months and how many subjects will they study during the whole program? What scientific advice will they get?

Secondly, what are the conditions of study rooms, infrastructure for studies, and other activities. In developed countries, postgraduates have separate study rooms with full facilities and extremely good libraries. They can request libraries to borrow books from other schools in cases the libraries do not have the books they need. In addition, systems of gyms, swimming pools and other sports facilities are available for postgraduates after classes. The tuition in these countries is high because it includes these services.

Thirdly, the cost must be considered in balance with the average income of the nation. It is irrational to compare VND15 million in Vietnam with nearly VND200 million in developed countries. This figure should be considered in comparison with the average income of Vietnamese people.

Fourthly, most of the postgraduates in developed countries operate in the field of scientific research and work for private firms. Very few postgraduates work for public agencies or hold management positions and very few of them are funded by the government for their doctoral studies. Most of them are studying and working at the same time. Meanwhile, only a few post-graduates in Vietnam work in the non-state sectors. These public servants-postgraduates are still paid by the state budget during their study time, although they do not or work just a little for their agencies.

If it is a waste, cheap training is meaningless 

Apparently, Vietnam has a high rate of officials who hold doctoral degrees, and the rate of doctoral degree holders operate in the fields of research and teaching is lower than that of neighboring countries. For many doctoral degree holders, their research career officially ends after the graduation ceremony, after they receive their degree. Training doctors who don’t do research perhaps occurs in Vietnam only.

Frankly, most doctoral degree holders in Vietnam are weak at foreign languages. I believe that many of them could not write the title of their thesis correctly in the language that they registered. It is meaningless for cheap training cost if our doctors don’t do research and they cannot talk with foreign experts.

I'm also skeptical if a majority of our doctors can update specialized information from their colleagues around the world although they spend hours on their computers of high-speed Internet transmission paid by the state. It is very hard to find their contribution to the country through their studies.

Money cannot buy quality?

If training expenditure is the root cause for the low quality of doctoral training in particular and general education in our country, we should consider this to be good, or at least a sign of hope and optimism. Financial problems can be solved in a short time and are easy to fix. But if education quality is related to educational philosophy, money will not be a cure.

Nguyen Cong Thao