Students of Geography – Geology Department, University of Science during a practical lesson
It was not by coincidence that Hue University is the first and only tertiary institution in the nation selected to undergo the quality assurance process. In 2016, Hue University had written letters expressing the desire to be accredited and had created a registration dossier. The university’s application was approved by the SHARE organization, giving evidence that this higher education institution in the old capital has outstanding advantages.
Some of the most useful information is the results of the student employment survey conducted by Hue University showing that more than 89% of students have jobs after one year of graduation, with some impressive figures from member universities such as: University of Medicine and Pharmacy (95.16%); Faculty of Tourism (97.94%), University of Agriculture and Forestry (90.49%), etc.
With regard to some specializations, the percentage of students finding employment after graduation is 100%, such as Economics (Faculty of Tourism); Biotechnology (University of Science); Medical Testing Techniques (University of Medicine and Pharmacy), etc. In the context of the many challenges the education sector has to face, as well as the intense competition among tertiary institutions, these statistics confirm the quality and success of the institution.
Staff and lecturers of University of Agriculture and Forestry conducting scientific research with high-tech equipment
In 2017, the process of external accreditation and quality assurance at member institutions has shown the strengths of Hue University: multi-disciplinary training, multi-field training; professional staff with academic titles, high degrees; training programs in conjunction with quality international universities; etc. The rate of satisfaction is 82-89%. These results have demonstrated the stature of Hue University in the overall picture of higher education.
In this upcoming accreditation, one of the key subjects chosen by the experts to interview is the employers. Despite some weaknesses of students, such as lacking soft skills or confidence, employers acknowledged that Hue University students have many good qualities such as hardworking, determined, knowledgeable, and have a progressive attitude.
At the employment fairs in 2017, many businesses revealed that these advantages have helped to increase the number of students recruited, which is also a plus point in the accreditation criteria.
Mr. Hoang Tinh Bao, Head of the Department of Testing and Educational Quality Assurance of Hue University, said that Hue University is ready for the accreditation and evaluation, in which about 500 items were prepared in accordance to the regulations’ standards and criteria. The university is now prepared for the accreditation process.
In general, the quality assurance system for higher education of Hue University to date is relatively complete with internal quality assurance departments at all member universities, faculties, divisions and centers, and cooperates well with external quality assurance agencies like the Quality Management Department under the Ministry of Education and Training, the National Center for Quality Assurance of Higher Education in Hanoi, The AUN - QA Education Quality Assurance Network of Southeast Asia and other international accreditation organizations. This will be an advantage of Hue University in this upcoming accreditation.
Students from University of Science studying genetics
If good results are received, it is obvious that this will be an opportunity for Hue University to affirm its name and reach out to the world. At present, in many industries, boundaries in personnel recruitment among countries are being erased. The “Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP)” among ASEAN countries is a good example. It is believed that when the name of Hue University has been affirmed in the region, Hue University students will be the source for labor markets in different countries, in which Southeast Asian countries will be the first.
Opportunities always come with challenges, if the evaluation results do not meet the international standards, Hue University will have to find ways to work on the limited aspects, to soon affirm the university’s name to society.
The accreditation process happening immediately after the Lunar New Year can be seen as an "opening" of Hue University in the New Year with the opportunity to reach the world. With this opportunity, Hue University is addressing one of the issues that Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc mentioned during his visit in early 2018: "Hue University cannot remain a local institution but must strive to reach national and international level."
Story and photos: Huu Phuc