What is the Department of Higher Education in Vietnam? Is it under the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam?

What is the Department of Higher Education in Vietnam? Is it under the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam?

Based on Article 17 of the Regulation on functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of units under the Ministry of Education and Training issued with Decision 4668/QD-BGDDT 2022:

Position and function

The Department of Higher Education is a unit under the Ministry of Education and Training, performing the advisory function, assisting the Minister in state management of higher education, pedagogical colleges, and secondary pedagogical schools.

Thus, according to the regulation on position and function, the Department of Higher Education is a unit under the Ministry of Education and Training.

The Department of Higher Education has the function of advising and assisting the Minister in state management of higher education, pedagogical colleges, and secondary pedagogical schools.

What is the Department of Higher Education in Vietnam? Is it under the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam?​ (Image from the Internet)

What are the duties and powers of the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam in enrollment and training work?

Based on Clause 1, Article 18 of the Regulation on functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of units under the Ministry of Education and Training issued with Decision 4668/QD-BGDDT 2022:

[1] Regarding enrollment and training work

- Advising, formulating the enrollment regulations (including for appointed candidates and preparatory college students transitioning to university), regulations on training at the college of pedagogy level, various levels of higher education according to formal education, part-time learning and distance learning, bridging education, domestic and international collaborative training;

- Advising, formulating regulations on enrollment quotas; regulations on conditions, procedures to open training disciplines or register activities at the college of pedagogy level; regulations on compiling, selecting, appraising, approving, and using teaching materials, textbooks for higher education levels and college of pedagogy level; regulations on minimum entry quality assurance for teacher training disciplines and health-related sectors with professional certification; organizing the development of programs and compiling common textbooks for mandatory subjects, instructor training in political theory subjects according to regulations;

- Advising on decisions to suspend enrollment, suspend training activities, revoke training permissions for education levels of higher education or registration at the college of pedagogy level, textbooks, and teaching materials that do not meet quality conditions according to regulations;

- Advising on implementing the Vietnam National Qualifications Framework; implementing statistical lists of training disciplines for higher education and college-level teacher education.

[2] Regarding ensuring the quality of higher education and pedagogical colleges

- Implementing regulations, criteria, standards, and requirements for education facility standards, training program standards at higher education institutions and pedagogical colleges;

- Advising on managing the activities of higher education institutions, pedagogical colleges on conditions ensuring training quality (lecturers, management staff; infrastructure; finance); training results; employment status of students after graduation;

- Advising on managing activities of foreign-invested higher education institutions and foreign-funded higher education institutions in Vietnam.

[3] Managing the operation of higher education institutions and pedagogical colleges

- Leading in advising, assisting the Minister to submit to the Prime Minister of the Government for approval the network planning of higher education and teacher training institutions;

- Advising on implementing standards and regulations for higher education institutions and teacher training institutions; regulations on pedagogical college charters; policies on university autonomy; training policies for workforce development for key economic regions, training by usage location and for the Northwest, Central Highlands, Southwest, and other difficult areas;

- Overseeing the implementation of assessing conditions and deciding on permissions, suspensions of educational activities for higher education institutions and pedagogical colleges according to the authority and legal regulations.

Do universities in Vietnam need permission from the Department of Higher Education to operate?

Based on point c, clause 3, Article 18 of the Regulation on functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of units under the Ministry of Education and Training issued with Decision 4668/QD-BGDDT 2022:

Duties and powers

...

3. Managing the operation of higher education institutions and pedagogical colleges

...

c) The main entity in implementing the assessment of conditions and deciding on permissions, suspensions of educational activities for higher education and pedagogical colleges according to the authority and legal regulations.

The Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam is the main entity in implementing the assessment of conditions and deciding on permissions (or suspensions) of educational activities for higher education and pedagogical institutions according to the authority and legal regulations.

Thus, universities need to seek permission from the Department of Higher Education, which has the authority to decide whether a university is permitted to operate.