The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) recently revealed a draft decree on foreign cooperation and investment in education, providing a clearer legal framework to lure more foreign investment in this sector.
According to Nguyen Xuan Vang, head of the International Cooperation Department of the MOET, the draft decree is designed to replace Decree No. 73 issued in 2012, which has shown several shortcomings during its implementation.
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| The draft decree proposes allowing foreign educational institutions to decide on the percentage of Vietnamese pupils by themselves__Photo: Internet |
As explained by Vang, under Decree No. 73, foreign-invested institutions which operate in Vietnam can only receive a limited percentage of Vietnamese pupils, which is 10 percent for primary schools and 20 percent for secondary schools, and may not enroll under-five pupils to study foreign education programs.
The draft decree proposes allowing foreign educational institutions to decide on the percentage of Vietnamese pupils by themselves and enroll pupils at all ages. However, preschools and general education institutions would have to teach compulsory contents which are designed by the MOET, Vang said.
In addition, foreign investors would be allowed to hire facilities for opening a university before building their own ones. Nevertheless, instead of VND 300 billion as prescribed in Decree No. 73, the draft decree requires an investor founding a university to have the minimum investment capital of VND 1 trillion.
As for lecturer degrees, the draft requires foreign lecturers to possess degrees granted by foreign educational institutions which are licensed by foreign authorities; and have their training programs recognized by the educational quality examination agencies of these countries. Meanwhile, degrees granted by foreign education institutions to Vietnamese lecturers would have to be recognized in Vietnam.
The draft only requires native language teachers in tertiary education institutions to possess university degrees and relevant language certificates instead of five-year experience and master degrees under Decree No. 73.
In a talk with Tien Phong newspaper, Nguyen Kim Dung, lawyer and head of the Legal and External Relation Department of British University Vietnam, welcomed the draft decree. Once approved, the new decree will create a clearer investment environment for the education sector, while ensuring the investment quality, she said.- (VLLF)
