The Ministry of Education and Training proposed adding the position of 'joint lecturer' in the revised university law.

The Ministry of Education and Training has added the concept of 'joint lecturer' alongside the positions of permanent lecturer, full-time contract lecturer after retirement, and guest lecturer to Article 29 of the draft revised Law on Higher Education.

Students of the University of Technology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi , study in the laboratory - Photo: UET

In which, full-time lecturers are identified as teachers working full-time at higher education institutions according to the provisions of the Law on Teachers.

A joint lecturer is an official of another agency or organization with professional qualifications appropriate to the profession and training field, and is assigned teaching duties by the university as a full-time lecturer for a term of one year or more.

Attracting domestic and international resources

In addition, the Ministry of Education and Training also clearly defines professor as the highest title of university lecturer, demonstrating capacity, prestige and leadership role in the trained profession, exploring and creating new knowledge. Associate professor is the title next to professor, with deep expertise in a specific scientific field.

According to the ministry, the current law does not clearly define the types of lecturer positions and does not clearly distinguish between professional titles and academic titles. The draft is supplemented to fully reflect the practical use of lecturers in autonomous models, clarify the legal basis of lecturer types (tenured, co-tenant, guest lecturers, etc.), and at the same time establish the leading role of professors, associate professors and decentralize the issuance of professional standards in accordance with the Law on Teachers.

The current Law on Higher Education does not have specific regulations on policies for developing teaching staff. The draft Law on Higher Education (amended) has added provisions to specify policies and enhance international integration.

Accordingly, university lecturers, in addition to enjoying the general policies of teachers as prescribed by the Law on Teachers, are also given priority by the State to train and foster lecturers with doctoral degrees, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering, innovation, and higher education; and are provided with financial support, scholarships, and created conditions for access to high-level training programs at home and abroad for young lecturers and potential lecturers.

At the same time, prioritize the recruitment, use, and promotion of prestigious experts, scientists, highly qualified people, overseas Vietnamese, and foreigners participating in teaching and research at higher education institutions; have a flexible mechanism on teaching hours and remuneration appropriate to the position, title, and professional and research results of lecturers.

Special attention to developing teaching staff

According to the summary report on the implementation of the Law on Higher Education of the Ministry of Education and Training, the development of the teaching staff is receiving special attention from schools, especially in attracting good lecturers. The total number of full-time lecturers is currently 91,000 (an increase of nearly 25% compared to 2019), of which the rate of PhDs is 1.5-2% per year on average and at present is over 33%.

However, the ministry recognizes that higher education institutions are still facing difficulties and major challenges in competing and attracting good lecturers with large higher education institutions, foreign higher education institutions and businesses. The main reason is that the income and benefits for lecturers at most higher education institutions are still low.

Besides, the limitations and difficulties in developing the teaching staff of higher education institutions are hindered by the regulations in relevant legal documents, current laws have scattered and overlapping provisions.

In addition, the appointment of foreign professors and associate professors at Vietnamese higher education institutions still has many problems related to the process, standards, and policies to attract talent. There is a lack of clear and attractive policies on remuneration, tax incentives, or working conditions to encourage foreign professors to teach and conduct research long-term in Vietnam.

There are no specific regulations on the authority and responsibilities of professors and associate professors in leading research groups, participating in doctoral training or developing international training programs at higher education institutions.

Leveraging common social and international resources

Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Van Chau - Principal of the University of Electricity - said that the new regulation on joint faculty members, if implemented, will create a legal corridor, helping universities take advantage of common resources from society and the world.

According to him, currently if a professor or associate professor is working at a research institute or enterprise, has professional qualifications that meet the standards of a lecturer, has profound practical experience but wants to teach at universities, it will be very difficult to sign a labor contract due to some regulations of the Labor Law (overtime work, insurance, policies for people with domestic and foreign nationality, etc.). From these difficulties, he is forced to sign to become a guest lecturer.

In addition, Mr. Chau said that if the position of permanent lecturers is determined, these people will take on the tasks of teaching, scientific research, and participating in activities related to education and training. Therefore, it is necessary to count the permanent lecturers in the teaching staff to determine the enrollment quota.

NGUYEN BAO

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bo-gd-dt-de-xuat-them-vi-tri-giang-vien-dong-co-huu-trong-luat-dai-hoc-sua-doi-20251021103823336.htm