In describing the university boom in recent years, Thuyet compared Vietnamese universities with ancient streets in urban areas, which have houses that are only 2-3 meters wide. Iis impossible to abolish the houses because these are people’s assets.

The development of universities is just like the development of the real estate market – in a  badly programmed, haphazard way.

Why did Vietnam try to open so many universities in recent years? Thuyet said this is because of the willingness to increase the number of Vietnamese who can access higher education.

Prior to 2005, Vietnam had fewer than 200 universities (4-5 year training) and junior colleges (3-year training). With the limited number of schools, only one in every 10 examinees passed the entrance exams to enter universities.

However, Thuyet believes that the bigger reason behind the strong determination to develop universities was the ‘achievement disease’. 

The term has become more commonly used in recent years in Vietnam to talk about the “virtual achievements” of Vietnamese education.

State agencies which wanted to improve the competitiveness indexes of the national economy and the human resource development index tried to increase the number of universities and university students by calling for more and more schools.

“We tried to dissuade the education ministry from setting up the target of obtaining 400-450 students for every 10,000 people. But they still insisted on following the development plan,” Thuyet said.

The education ministry then said that 400-450 students per 10,000 people is the average ratio in many countries, including Thailand, and that increasing the percentage of Vietnamese accessing higher education is the best way to develop economy.

Thuyet is one of the experts who repeatedly warned about the oversupply of universities in Vietnam.

He said that Vietnam needs about 20,000 workers with bachelor's’ degrees every year  while in 2004 alone, 200,000 university students graduated. The figure is now 600,000.

When asked what Vietnam needs to do to deal with the university boom, Thuyet said: “The market will determine if schools can exist and what they have to do to exist.”

The Ministry of Education and Training some years ago repeatedly stated that it would dissolve the universities which operate ineffectively. The idea has been applauded by the public. However, no school has been closed.

Thuyet noted that though the ministry has not ‘declared death’ to any school, some schools have already died in reality.

Van Chung