Students of the Thai Nguyen Medical School in the northern province of the same name attend a class under the "Smart school" initiative aimed at reforming medical education in the country (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - In Vietnam,getting into a university has been described as a national obsession andgetting admission seen as a cut-throat competition. However, despite getting through such a toughinitiation, more students are failing to stay in college until graduation, andthe steady increase in their numbers is worrying educators.
Several factors, including expulsion, droppingout, transferring and repeating courses are said to be the prime causes behindthis phenomenon.
In June 2016, the Ho Chi Minh City Agriculture andForestry University surprisingly expelled as many as 946 students, many of themare those who’d already completed three of eight terms. The university said the decision was not takenlightly.
“All the expelled students were those who’dreceived three academic warnings. This school puts an emphasis on educationquality. If the students fail to invest their efforts into studying, thenexpulsion is in order,” said Tran Dinh Ly, head of the university’s trainingdepartment.
Prior to this “serial expulsion,” the universityhad already issued warnings to 1,937 students – 1,614 received their first and323 their second.
In 2016 March, the HCM City University of SocialSciences and Humanities under the Vietnam National University HCM City let goof 214 students, citing repeated failures to obtain minimum credits in a term,those whose average score in tests in the first term or in two consecutiveterms were below 3.0 and 4.0, respectively.
Ly estimated that 15-20 per cent of students inthe university won’t make it to the final year.
“It means that if the 2017’s enrollment targetis 5,200 students, after four years, by 2021, there will be about only 4,000students left in the senior year,” he said.
Similarly, the HCM City University of FoodIndustry reported a 15-20 percent “loss” in the number of students, with thehead of its training department saying that besides the majority of expulsions,other factors included students having chosen wrong majors or schools orfalling way behind the lessons.
The rate of dropouts at the HCM City Universityof Polytechnics is as high as 30 percent, according to Le Chi Thong, head ofits training department.
At the HCM City Open University, the number ofstudents managing to graduate in time (in four years) is just 50 per cent.
Universities in Hanoi have similar stories totell.
The Hanoi University of Education, for example,expelled 620 students and issued warnings to 1,076 during the 2013-2017 period.
The Hanoi University of Industry reported that10 percent students who enrolled in 2014 – 555 – have received warnings overpoor grades. In 2015, this number rose to 576 students, or 7.9 percent, but in2016, the figure dropped to 268 students, or 4.2 percent of the total numberof students. However, in these three academic years, 634 have been expelled.Over four years, the rate of expulsion was around 9-10 percent for each class.
Pham Thai Son, deputy head of the trainingdepartment at HCM City University of Food Industry, said the situation requiresboth the universities and the students to “take a serious look at themselves.”
“On our part, the number of students in eachclass will no longer be the same, affecting our revenue. No school can prepareits education programme factoring in the expulsion of a large number ofstudents, but this can’t be avoided,” he told the Vietnamnet newspaper.
“If the reason for leaving is because the schoolis just their (students’) secondary choice in application, then we will surelytry to improve our education quality and brand. If the reason is harshassessments that make it difficult for students to adapt, we will review oureducation and training work,” Son said.
He also said that students who drop out ofschool or get expelled after a year of study are doing themselves a disservice.
“A lot of money and time has been spent andwasted for nothing. Especially, in Vietnam, where online education or degreeobtained via part-time courses while working are not highly valued, they willhave to start from zero again.”
He said those expelled in their third or fourthyear are mostly those that could not follow the curriculum, or “to be honest,they are lazy and their excuses are ‘life difficulties.’”
“Once expelled, the chance that they will seek universityeducation again is slim to none,” he said.
The problem has drawn many views and opinionsfrom education experts who mostly attribute it to inappropriate policies andlack of proper attention from universities, while admonishing students torealise that “no one else can study for them.”
Do Van Dung, Rector of the HCM City Universityof Technology and Education, one of the policy critics, explained: “First, theschool’s tuition policy. Currently, tuition is rising as public universities’autonomy is encouraged. Without financial means, students will have to workpart-time and neglect their studies.
“Second, student loans can only satisfy a verysmall portion of the real demand. Third, the uncontrolled multi-marketingschemes that promise huge profits are irresistible for some students.”
Dung also warned that worried about decliningrevenues, some schools have told teachers to not grade failing scores thatwould force the school to expel underperforming students.
Hoang Ngoc Vinh, former head of the professionaleducation department und the Ministry of Education and Training, blamed the lowscores on students adopting a “relaxed attitude” after a hectic, high pressureperiod preparing for the university entrance exams.
He said counselling and other forms ofassistance to help students adapt to university life and various otheraspects like homework, thesis writing, or credit system is lacking in mostuniversities because they are “already too busy with student recruitment andfinancial burdens.”
Tran Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the HCM CityCentre for Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labour Market, said this currentsituation was the result of “75 per cent of high school students havinginsufficient understanding of majors in universities.”
Career orientation is only popular in urbanareas. In rural areas, it is almost non-existent,” Tuan said, citing severalsurveys done by his organisation.
Dam Quang Minh, rector of the private Thanh Tay(Western University), did not see reasons to get unduly worried.
He said more studies are needed to see theactual rate as well as reasons for dropping out of university education –whether it was to change majors, switch to another university, overseas study,financial problems or others.
Minh said that in American universities, only 55percent of students graduate and the rate of students pulling out in themiddle of the school-year is around 30 percent.-VNA
