The effects of university governance structure on new programme development and approval process in Vietnamese universities

• Main Author: LE, Thi Anh Tram
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2020
• Subjects: governance; process; procedure; university; autonomy; Asian Studies; Organization Development
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/etd_coll/327; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1326&context=etd_coll
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Universities and other higher education institutions are viewed as social organizations which play a crucial role in developing the economy, politic, culture, talent, and society of the country. Society expects the universities to well-fulfill their mission in education, academic research, public engagement for the economic development and sustainability of the country and the government is also accountable for supporting the universities to accomplish their missions. In the context of the increasingly dynamic education industry, between a) internationalization with foreign schools establishing new ventures abroad or local schools recruiting students worldwide, b) the rapid development of information technology as digitization is expanding not just reach but the content and delivery capabilities of faculty, and c) the pace of change and increasing demand for knowledge and specialization in national development and global industries, it can be summarized that the higher education institutions have many opportunities, otherwise they are also facing numerous challenges in their activities. In these circumstances, the governing and strategic issues of the higher education institutions have to be considered with both a local and a global perspective in mind. A good university governance model has become more important than ever before. Many universities in the world have changed the governance structure, process, and procedures at the State and University level towards distributing autonomy for universities to better implement the roles and responsibilities of the universities to industry demands and society development. In Vietnam, in the process of switching the economic landscape from a state-controlled model to a market-centric model, the higher education system gains remarkable achievements. However, the quality of education is facing difficulties and shortcomings. Educational degree programs and courses are out of date and behind market demands and modern businesses. Training quality in Vietnamese universities is still considered low compared to the prevailing international standards. As a result, many students find difficulties looking for jobs after graduation or need to be re-trained when they begin to work for enterprises, high unemployment rates among graduates, and questions about the need or effectiveness of university education. Numerous commentators have questioned if it is a waste of money and time. Meanwhile, public trust and confidence in the current Vietnamese universities are decreasing over time. While all administrators of public universities in the Western and Asian countries would claim that there are opportunities to innovate governance, developing many new degree programs to adapt to market demands, in Vietnam the critical question is whether the current government governance on the university is the problem for the reluctance of universities to submit the new programme proposals when this is desired by the Vietnamese government. It examines the question through the lens of agency theory, exploring the reason the agents (the universities) might have for not acting upon the principal’s (the Vietnamese government’s) instructions. The research examines the governance and new programme development processes for explanations for the agency problem (inaction or lack of motivation in new programme development). Through the research methods including document review, semi-structured interview, and survey, the research provided critical findings regards with the problems of the new degree program governance in areas of approval authority, process requirements, process procedures, and policies. Recommendations were suggested to solve the fallings of the new degree program governance. This research is very importantly significant for the Vietnamese public university system and stakeholders such as the Government, leaders, policy-makers, scientists, and educators. Outcomes of this research provide scientific knowledge course and experiences of the university governance which serve as the foundation and guidelines for the Vietnamese Government and Universities to innovate university, especially the governance of new degree programs to respond to industry demands as well as enhance the performance and reputation of the universities.