A requirement on students' height set by the Ho Chi Minh City University of Teachers' Training has sparked debate.

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In the new student recruitment announcement, HCM City University of Teachers' Training stated that the minimum overall height requirements for male students would be 155 cm and 150 cm for female students. Many people have opposed the new rule, saying that size has no relevance in terms of communication skills or teaching.

A teacher in District 5 said her height was only 147cm but she had been a teacher for 20 years so height requirement was not necessary.

Huynh Van Son, deputy head of HCM City University of Teachers' Training, said height requirement was a part of their supposed health standards and had been applied since 2008. Moreover, the average height of Vietnamese males and females at 20 years old have increased to 164.44cm and 153.43cm respectively from 2009 to 2010.

"This shows that the requirement is practical," he claimed. "We want students who love the job and can meet the requirements. We won't let the height requirement stop anyone from entering the university. For special cases, we'll see if the students have the passion and ability for the future work."

Nguyen Thi Kim Phung, director of the Higher Education Department, said since more autonomy had been given to the universities, they could set up their own criteria, however, they must ensure students' ability and competitiveness in the job market.

"We've asked the university to explain and review their recruitment plan and make sure that all students have equal rights," he said.

On February 14, Nguyen Thi Minh Hong, head of HCM City University of Teachers' Training, said that they had removed the requirement after gathering opinions from the public. However, they will keep the height requirements for physical education students, which are 165cm for males and 155cm for females.

Dtinews