VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has asked the ETC Center of the National University to stop all joint training programs with foreign partners in Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh City and other localities. The Ministry will not recognize the diplomas granted by these programs.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training -- Bui Van Ga, has signed a dispatch to inform the conclusion of the Prime Minister at the meeting on inspection results of the state management of graduate and post-graduate joint training programs of the MOET.

In the dispatch, the MOET asked the Hanoi National University to deal with the master's degrees granted by the Hanoi University of Economics and the bachelor and master degrees granted by the foreign partners in the joint training programs with the Center for Training Technology and Employment System Center (ETC Centre), because these degrees did not meet with Vietnam’s standards.

The Hanoi Economics University is instructed to re-organize the graduation exams for post-graduate students before June 30, 2014.

The bachelor and master degrees granted by the foreign partners of ETC Center for Vietnamese students must be supplemented with necessary foreign language certificates to be recognized and valued in Vietnam.

Specifically, students need to have an international certificate of English scored a minimum TOEFL 500 (paper based) or TOEFL 61 iBT (Internet-based test) or IELTS 6.0 to take the university degrees granted by the Griggs University; international English certification at a minimum TOEFL score 530 (paper-based) or TOEFL 71 iBT (Internet-based test) or IELTS 6.5 for the master degree granted by Griggs University or the University of Delaware.

The MOET also requested to stop all joint training programs with foreign partners of ETC Centre in HCM City, Vinh City and other localities. The Ministry will not recognize the diplomas granted by these joint programs in the time after the Government Inspectorate issued its inspection report.

In early January, the Government Inspectorate concluded inspection of the management of graduate and post-graduate joint training programs with foreign partners. Accordingly, over 46 percent of the total 419 joint training programs at 18 universities were not licensed by the MOET. Fifteen universities did not have written records of training facility conditions and five schools recruited more students than permission...

The Hanoi National University committed the most serious violations, such as allowing post graduate students in eight joint training programs of the Hanoi Economics University to not write and defend thesis.

M. Hai