The revision to the Law on Higher Education should create more favourable conditions for private institutions in tertiary education, officials have said.

Students from RMIT International University attend a graduation ceremony. 

Chu Hong Thanh, former director of Ministry of Education and Training’s Legal Department, said the role of private universities had been undervalued socially and legally.

The current legal framework has yet to facilitate development and has only highlighted supervision of private universities, Thanh said at a workshop on legal policies for tertiary education held on Monday in HCM City.

In recent years, many private universities have achieved breakthroughs and gained a good reputation.

However, private universities need favourable legal policies to enable them to reform and develop in a more comprehensive way, he said.

Experts said the future Law on Higher Education should not differentiate between public and private universities in issues such as recruitment, curriculum, academic programmes, research, and staff employment.

Private institutions need incentive policies in tax, land usage and capital access, they said.  

The revised law should also emphasise total autonomy of universities.

Though the 2012 Law on Higher Education gave total autonomy to universities, there have been inconsistencies with other legal regulations that have hindered universities from full autonomy.

Full institutional autonomy is related to independent decisions on issues such as recruitment, curriculum, research, finances and administration, and international cooperation.

The Ministry of Education and Training is expected to submit to the National Assembly the draft Law on Higher Education in May. — VNS