Phan Thanh Bình, former chairman of the National Assembly Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children. Photo tuoitre.vn

Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, has a high level of autonomy in training and scientific research activities but still claims it lacks autonomy. What is your opinion?

When discussing university autonomy, the problem raised is human resources' autonomy mechanism and self-reliance. The autonomy mechanism includes the operating system and the board of directors, in which the unit's operational regulations and the unit's legal corridor will ensure that the mechanism operates following principles and balances between relationships.

Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, is a large university system that has implemented autonomy for six of its seven member schools. The university has had many affiliated units with financial autonomy, so the clarification of organisational and operational regulations of the system is more urgent and important.

Up to now, the amended and supplemented Law on Higher Education (Law 34) has been in effect for more than three years (from July 1, 2019), but the Government has not yet issued a regulation on the operation of Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, according to the law. Therefore, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City and its member and affiliated units must operate under old regulations when no autonomous units are under Law 34.

Is that why the member universities of the national universities have not fully developed their capabilities and are truly autonomous as prescribed by law?

According to the current regulations, from the National University to the member universities, they do not officially specify the role of the councils. They have not regulated the content and form of the activities process to ensure the best development and promote the effectiveness of the school council's actions.

During the operation, the mode of operation and the nature of the Council differ from the mode and nature of operation of the governing body. The Council operates under a parliamentary system, exchanging, discussing and making joint resolutions to manage the implementation. In the Council, the chairman is not the head of the Council but rather the coordinator for the Council to perform its functions and duties well and issue a quality resolution.

Only when doing this well, can we ensure the correctness of implementing functions and tasks of the units and positions. If this is not done well, it will reduce the value, may incorrectly shape the view on university autonomy, and reduce the effectiveness of university autonomy. And in the long run, university autonomy may become a formal language, not fully promoting the role of different components, mechanisms and responsibilities of a university system.

How can we ensure member universities' autonomy without losing the national university's role?

National universities must be different from other universities, from concept and organisation to operate, not just the methods and the mindset of a university. The National University has been established for less than 30 years, but the founding members are more than twice the age of the National University.

Especially since this is a system of large, multi-disciplinary universities developing together in the same area, on the same campus, the unity in diversity is a principle that needs to be deeply addressed.

In my opinion, Vietnam National University, Hồ Chí Minh City, will have common values and culture reflected right from the "core" subjects of the National University. However, this does not diminish the values and culture of each unit member.

According to the law, the National University is not a ministry or an administrative management unit but cannot operate and think like a large university. National University is the place to create an environment and support and facilitate the development of member universities. Member schools must be aware of and recognise the system's value and the member's responsibilities to the system. This content needs to be paid attention to and developed gradually over time to perfect the mechanism and model of Vietnam National University, Hồ Chí Minh City.

It should be completed soon regarding regulations on the organisation and operation of units and councils. How alike and different are the content and activities of the National University Council and the School Board? How are they related to each other? The strategy, governance and operational methods and processes of the Council need to be realised and implemented substantively.

What conditions do we need to build an autonomous university?

Only an autonomous organisation based on democracy can train self-disciplined intellectuals who are aware of and accept their responsibilities self-consciously, intellectually, creatively and bravely in front of society and the country. That is the function of the university. Thus, to build an autonomous university, it is necessary to have an autonomous capacity, including professional values, autonomous mechanisms and autonomous people.

Only when we know university autonomy and have enough capacity and qualities to deploy university autonomy, a university is a university - a place to promote, train and deploy the intellect and capacity of intellectuals for the country. Otherwise, we will always be an administrative agency, another "high school", and can only train well-mannered, docile workers for society, but not necessarily the owners of the future. — VNS