VietNamNet Bridge – Joint training programs have been booming. The watchdog agencies say they are not powerful enough to control all the programs. As a result, students do not know from who they should entreat help in case they become the victims of unlicensed programs.

Legal or illegal programs?

Two days ago, the government inspectors proposed the Prime Minister to instruct the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) not to recognize the degrees granted to the 2000 learners who finished the joint training program between the Hanoi National University and a foreign partner.

This was one of the numerous problematic joint training programs run by Vietnamese schools in cooperation with foreign partners. Every time, when the frauds are discovered, MOET usually orders to stop enrolment, requests the trainers to reimburse tuitions to learners and asks its Examination and Accreditation Department not to recognize the degrees to be licensed by the programs.

In most cases, it is learners, who are the biggest sufferers. Therefore, they have been told to be cautious when selecting the training programs to follow.

However, the problem is that learners cannot find out if the programs are legal or illegal, once the schools still exist and the ad pieces about the training programs still can appear on mass media.

Vo Thi Thao Linh, a learner of Raffles International Training Center, said that she sought the information about international schools in Vietnam before she decided to register to study at the center.

“I read on Internet that this is the biggest education group in the region which has 38 junior colleges and universities in 14 countries. If MOET does not recognize the degree, this would be a big disadvantage for us,” Linh said.

Linh, like other learners, all have affirmed that they could not recognize unlicensed programs in Vietnam. The chair of the advisory board of Raffles in Vietnam was the former Deputy Minister of Education and Training. As such, no one could imagine that this was an unlicensed program.

Learners need to protect themselves instead of expecting help

When asked what learners need to do to find out if these or those programs are licensed or unlicensed, Nguyen Xuan Vang, a senior official of MOET, said learners need to learn thoroughly about the programs they intend to follow.

“They (learners) can seek information about joint training programs on the official website of the ministry. If they still have some doubts, they should contact licensed agencies for advices,” Vang said.

However, analysts have commented that this is an impossible mission. The website cannot update information, because many joint training programs have been licensed by other competent agencies, not MOET.

Spent money and got worse

The Decision No. 77 dated December 20, 2007, stipulates that the degrees granted by unlicensed training programs must not be recognized in Vietnam.

As such, even though learners are not fault in following illegal programs, they would still have to bear the consequences. Their study results are not recognized, while in many cases, they cannot get the tuition backs, even though MOET always requests schools to reimburse money.

When asked if MOET would make intervention in the cases, where the schools refuse to reimburse money to learners, Nguyen Huy Bang, Chief Inspector of MOET said that this is the civil liability between the training centers and learners; therefore, learners have the right to claim for money back.

Source: Lao dong