Promoting Academic Staff Capacity in Vietnamese Higher Education: Towards an Effective and Sustainable Development Model

Abstract

In Vietnam, education is an important part of society, a major preoccupation of government and a concern for every family. Yet, the quality of education, across every level, especially in Higher Education remains problematic. Among various officially recognized reasons for this are the quantity and quality of academic staff. In an economy in transition, including a rapidly expanding Higher Education system, the Government believes that major reform in academic staff development is necessary. However, academic staff development is at an early stage of emergence and it requires considerable additional emphasis and effort. A part of this study seeks to assess the development needs of Vietnam's academics. To accomplish this survey, methodology was employed including questionnaires being distributed to 240 academic staff and 200 Rectors and Vice-Rectors. It is the first time that surveys with this number of academic staff and Rectors and Vice-Rectors have been completed concerning academic staff development in Vietnamese Higher Education institutions.