Vietnam PhD training 'not effective': deputy minister

Addressing a meeting on higher education held in HCMC Tuesday, he said 30-40% of the country's 240 universities have PhD programs, too high a number, which makes the quality "inconsistent."

Due to their lack of resources, they are able to cover only a few majors, he said.

The number of postgraduate students in Vietnam is low compared to the global average, and not many are able to produce research, he said.

As a result, "PhD training has failed to meet the actual demand," he said.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son speaks at a meeting in HCMC, August 1, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Le Nguyen

His ministry plans to set regulations to limit the number of universities offering PhD programs, and "It has to be done drastically to make sure not just any university can train PhDs."

The rest would only be allowed to offer bachelor's and master's degrees, he said.

As of November last year there were 8,933 PhD students in the country.