Higher Education in Vietnam Potential for Institutional Partnerships

1
Higher Education in VietnamPotential for
Institutional Partnerships
Kate Thirolf, University of Michigan, USA Jack
Thirolf, Princeton-in-Asia Fellow (2006-08),
Vietnam
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Outline

• Introductions
• Vietnam basics, stats, and trends
• Brief profile higher education in Vietnam
• College profiles
• Hoa Sen University (cutting-edge private urban
  university)
• Kien Giang Community College (small, remote
  community education center)
• Current and potential international education
  partnerships

3
Introductions
4
Jack Thirolf

• Princeton-in-Asia teaching fellow 20062008 in
  Rach Gia
• Background in comparative literature
• Board member Can Tho Underprivileged Youth
  Empowerment Project
• Currently working at the Business Council for
  Sustainable Energy in Washington, DC

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Southeast Asia
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About Vietnam

• Vietnam is
• one of the ten countries in Southeast Asia
• bordered by China, Cambodia, Laos, the Gulf of
  Tonkin, the Gulf of Thailand, and the South China
  Sea
• divided into 3 regions
• North
• Central
• South

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Country Profile

• Roughly the size of NM
• Stretches more than 2,000 miles from north to
  south
• Population 86.1 million (13th largest in world)
• Capital Ha Noi (6.2 million)
• Other prominent cities
• Ho Chi Minh City/Sai Gon (6.6 million)
• Hai Phong (1.711 million)
• Can Tho (1.154 million)
• Literacy rate 90

U.S. State Department (2008)
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Growth

• Per capita income rose from 220 in 1994 to 832
  in 2007
• State budget for education increased from 4.2 of
  GDP in 2000 to 5.6 in 2006
• Enrollments in higher education increased from
  162,000 in 1992-93 to 1,600,000 in 2008

U.S. State Department (2008), Hayden Thiep
(2006)
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International Economic Ties

• Main trading partners
• US, Japan, China, Australia, Singapore
• Exports
• Marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, textiles
  and garments
• 1995 Formal normalization of US-VN diplomatic
  relations
• 2007 became 150th member of the WTO

https//www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world
-factbook/geos/vm.htmlEcon
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Higher Education in Vietnamby the numbers

• 369 universities and colleges
• 61 private institutions
• 13 community colleges
• 1.6 million students
• Only 423,000 at community colleges
• 61,300 faculty members
• 5,900 PhD holders
• 26 to 1 Ratio of students to faculty
• Only 3 of university revenues linked to research

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Higher Ed Reform Agenda(2006-2020)

• Vision 2020 Objectives
• Complete national network of higher ed
  institutions
• Achieve new curriculum development, quality
  assurance accreditation
• Meet international standards
• Increase student enrollment
• Enhance instructor qualifications and quality of
  instruction
• Increase science and technology revenue

Nguyen Thi Le Huong (2008)
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Hoa Sen University

• Location Ho Chi Minh City
• Mission To contribute to the education and
  training of new generations of talent for Vietnam
  in the 21st century and prepare and enable its
  faculty and students to integrate with the rest
  of the world

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History

• 1991 Hoa Sen (Lotus) IT and Administration
  school founded
• Offered unique sandwich training 2-year
  programs
• 1999 Became a college
• Offered 3-year programs
• Dec 2006 Privatized and became a university
• Offered 4-year programs

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Focus Offerings

• Goal Students will be able to integrate and work
  in an international environment
• Transferable programs and credits, e.g.
• Lake Washington Technical College (USA)
• United Business Institute (Belgium)
• Certificates, e.g.
• Business language (BULATS, LCCI)
• Accounting (ACCA)
• Sandwich model and industry-related programs

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Skills Competencies

• Study methods and skills
• teamwork, self-study, critical thinking, academic
  skills
• Workplace soft skills
• communication, presentation skills
• English
• communication, fluency

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HSU by the numbers

• 7,000 students in 2008
• 90 graduates find suitable jobs right after
  graduation
• 400 full time staff and faculty members
• 200 visiting lecturers
• 4 schools
• Science Technology, Business Administration,
  Services Management, Languages Culture
• 26 programs available
• excluding short term courses under 1 year

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School of Science Technology

• Bachelor degree - 4 years
• Information technology
• Computer networking
• Environmental technology and management
• Automation engineering
• Associate degree - 3 years
• Information technology
• Computer networking
• Associate diploma - 2 years
• Multimedia technology

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School of Business Administration

• Bachelor degree - 4 years
• Business administration
• Human resource management
• Marketing
• Accounting
• Banking and finance
• Associate degree - 3 years
• Business administration
• Foreign trade
• Accounting
• Associate diploma - 2 years
• Accounting

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School of Services Management

• Associate degree - 3 years
• Office administration
• Associate diploma - 2 years
• Fashion design
• Audio technician
• Medical secretary
• Architectural graphics designer

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School of Languages and Culture

• Bachelor degree - 4 years
• English (Business English, English Translator
  Interpreter, English Teachers for Young Learners)
• Management of Tourism Hospitality
• Associate degree - 3 years
• Business English
• Management of Tourism Hospitality
• Associate diploma - 2 years
• Business English
• Management of Tourism Hospitality

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HSUs International Partnerships
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Cooperative Training Programs

• Association of Chartered Certified Accountant
  (ACCA - UK)
• NIIT (India)
• United Business Institutes (Belgium)
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Versailles
  Val d' Oise Yvelines (CCIV)
• University of Toulon-Var (France)
• ModArt International (France)
• Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University (France)
• London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  Examination Board (LCCIEB - UK)

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International Partnerships

• HSU receives foreign interns from
• ITIN
• ESCIA
• IUT Aix en Provence
• INALCO
• Student exchange programs
• Lake Washington Technical College (Seattle-area)
• Suffolk University (Boston)
• De Anza College (San Francisco)
• Other joint projects
• Paris 12 University

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Dr. Nguyen Thu Huong (Tom)

• Currently the Chair of the Department of
  Languages and American-British Culture Studies at
  Hoa Sen University
• Served as the Associate Chair of the English
  Department at Cantho University, still serves as
  a faculty member
• Received MA in TESOL at Boston University
• Received his PhD from the Rijksuniversiteit
  Groningen (University of Groningen)

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Kien Giang Community College

• Located in Rach Gia City, Kien Giang Province in
  Vietnams Mekong Delta Region
• Approximately 250 km from Ho Chi Minh City and 90
  km from the Cambodian border
• Rach Gia has a population of 250,000
• One of four colleges in the city

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KGCC Basics

• Founded in April 2002, taking the place of the
  Kien Giang Continuing Education Center (founded
  1975)
• One of 13 community colleges in Vietnam and a
  member of the Vietnam Association of Community
  Colleges (VACC)
• International Associate Member of the American
  Associate of Community Colleges since November
  2005

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Proof Thereof
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Basic Statistics

• Approximately 6,500 students enrolled in all
  levels of classes in 2008
• 2,700 enrolled in fulltime degree programs
• 2,900 studying in part-time degree/certificate
  programs
• 1,000 taking short-term courses

Information of Kien Giang Community College
Bangkok, 2009, Nguyen Duy Khang
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Program Offerings

• Aquaculture
• Fisheries development
• Seafood processing (Nha Trang University)
• Economics/Accounting
• Mechanics/Electronics
• Foreign Languages
• Tourism
• IT

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Who Studies at KGCC?

• By and large middle to upper class 18-22 year
  olds with high school diplomas
• Test scores on Natl entrance exam may have been
  too low for entry into Univ.
• Family/financial situations may have prevented
  them from studying in Can Tho or TPHCM
• Community members looking for continuing
  education
• Government employees sent for training courses
• High school students looking to get ahead
• Workers needing certifications

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What Do They Study?

• Information technology with NIIT
• Three-year certificate programs
• Satellite programs from Can Tho/TPHCM
• Seafood technology (Nha Trang Univ.)
• Mandatory training (ideology, language,
  accounting, etc.)
• Exam preparation courses
• Certificates for promotions/advancement

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Why Do They Study?

• To get a degree to allow them to work as a
  teacher, accountant, government clerk, factory
  manager, etc.
• Certificate required for advancement
• Personal development

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Interdepartmental Volleyball Competition
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International Partnerships

• Mohawk Valley Community College
• AACC
• Princeton-in-Asia
• Fulbright
• ACDI/VOCA Project
• NIIT
• Cysco
• RV Mekong
• Association Internationale pour le Developpement
  au Viet Nam (AIDEV)

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International Relations Objectives

• To share experiences and valuable lessons about
  the community college model
• To exchange experts, faculty, and students
• To serve global integration and to support
  community labor export programs

Vietnamese Community Colleges and Their Pressing
Needs, Do Quoc Trung
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What Do International Partnerships do for KGCC?

• NIIT now the largest draw for the college
• Cysco trains students in computer networking
  office growing in size
• PiA provides two fulltime English teachers
• Fulbright provides teaching assistant, cash
• AIDEV provides classroom for French instruction,
  occassional teachers
• RV Mekong working with KGCC to build Tourism
  University on Phu Quoc island

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Overview of Community Colleges in VN

• Six CCs were established in VN in August 2000
• Since April 2002, eight more CCs have been
  established
• CCs are in all three regions, but clustered in
  the Mekong Delta
• Establishing a CC seems to mostly entail
  changing the name of a Continuing Learning
  Center to a Community College
• More and more CCs are changing into universities
  to allow for needed graduate study and for the
  added prestige

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The Vietnamese Association of Community Colleges

• Established by the Ministry of the Interior in
  2006
• The voice of VN CCs
• Advises the MOET on the development of the CC
  system in VN
• Led by presidents of VN CCs

T?NG QUAN V? HI?P H?I CAO Ð?NG C?NG Ð?NG VI?T
NAM (VACC)C)
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VACC Stats

• Represents 13 CCs
• 1,635 administrators and faculty
• Total students 54,565
• 22,413 taking three-year and two-year programs
• 25,356 taking four-year programs in cooperation
  with universities
• 6,796 taking short-time vocational and/or
  intensive training courses

Vietnamese Community Colleges and Their Pressing
Needs, Do Quoc Trung
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Mr. Nguyen Duy Khang

• Head of English Department, Faculty of Foreign
  Languages
• Pursuing Masters in educational methodology and
  research from Can Tho University
• Coming to study and conduct research at MHVC from
  March to May 2009

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Thank You
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Contact Us

• Kate Thirolf - kthirolf_at_umich.edu
• Jack Thirolf - jack.thirolf_at_gmail.com
• Nguyen Duy Khang
• Kien Giang Community College
• khangkgcc_at_yahoo.com
• Dr. Nguyen Thu Huong (Tom)
• Hoa Sen University
• nthuong_at_hoasen.edu.vn