VietNamNet Bridge - It would take a high-school graduate three, five and eight years to obtain bachelor’s, master’s degrees and doctorates, respectively, if the new national educational system is applied.

It will take students 4 years to finish medical school

The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) plans to shorten the time for university education to 3-4 years from 4-6 years, saying that Vietnam needs to do this to be closer to international practice.

“The world is increasingly integrated, and higher education is part of the integrated world,” said Bui Van Ga, MOET’s Deputy Minister, adding that Vietnam wants to approach the training time applied by many countries.

Ga, in an interview to Vietnam Plus, said it takes longer time in Vietnam (4-6 years) to train a worker with bachelor’s degree. The long training time requires high cost, while it reduces students’ job opportunities, thus making it more difficult for university graduates to look for jobs in the integration period.

The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) plans to shorten the time for university education to 3-4 years from 4-6 years, saying that Vietnam needs to do this to be closer to international practice.

In fact, two universities of excellence in Vietnam, the Vietnam-Germany University and the Hanoi University of Science & Technology, have designed their curriculum in accordance with the Bologna Process.

Meanwhile, foreign invested universities in Vietnam apply similar training frames.

Ga emphasized that the shortening of training does not mean cutting curricula and reducing training quality. 

“Compulsory learning subjects will be maintained, while the core professional knowledge must be re-built systematically, so that students can obtain more knowledge and have better skills though they have fewer years at school.

Ga affirmed this is ‘within reach’. In fact, many students now can finish universities after three years of study, though under the current laws, the university education lasts 4-6 years, because of the credit-based training. The students need three years only to fulfill the training curriculums and obtain all credits needed.

Tran Cong Phong, head of the Vietnam Education Science Institute, also said he does not think the shorter training time would affect the quality of university graduates.

If training curriculums are designed well, students will still have necessary knowledge, and practice necessary skills important for their future jobs, while the society will be able to save money and time on training.

Meanwhile, Van Nhu Cuong, a renowned educator, noted that it was necessary to exclude many subjects from the curriculums. Besides, there are other subjects which students can teach themselves through books and documents, and there is no need to go to lecture hall.

While agreeing that shortening the training time is a necessity, some educators still question the time for training medical workers. It now takes at least six years to finish medical university. They believe it requires more time. 

Tien Phong