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Vocational schools confronted by falling numbers
  • | Tuoi tre | November 17, 2011 07:11 PM

Enrollments in Ho Chi Minh City vocational schools are in steep decline thanks to stiff competition from higher education institutions which are currently allowed to offer vocational courses.

 
 A practice session at Khoi Viet Tourism and Hospitality Vocational School in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The number of enrollees at Khoi Viet Tourism and Hospitality Vocational School has dropped almost 90 percent between 2008 and 2010, says school principal Ha Kim Vong.

The school, based in Phu Nhuan District, received no applications for its tour guide training courses in 2010, Vong adds.

Only 70 students have applied to Khoi Viet to date, while it is offering 450 seats this year, he complains.

Vong laments it will likely shut down if the enrollments continue to decrease.

Another school, Viet Giao, which is headquartered in District 10, has recorded a steady fall in enrollment numbers over the last 4 years.

Last year, it managed to enroll a mere 20 percent of the 450 available places, Dang Thanh Vu, principal of the school, says.

“We have managed to admit only 70 students out of the targeted 500 for this year,” Vu complains. “We are unable to compete with junior colleges and universities which are offering vocational courses as well.”

Less lucky than Khoi Viet, Viet Giao has already closed down one of its two branches because of the lack of students.

The Saigon Tourism Vocational College, based in the same district, has also suffered from a drop in enrollments, according to principal Ngo Thi Quynh Xuan.

“Around 900 students have been signed up for our courses so far this year, whereas in previous years we normally registered between 1,200 and 1,500.”

Le Thi Rieng Vocational School in District 9 has admitted only a third of its proposed number as yet, says Tran Thuy Trang, head of academic affairs.

Reasons

Trang explains that potential students prefer junior colleges and universities to vocational schools, which bring less job opportunities and lower salaries.

But Dang Thanh Vu, of Viet Giao school, attributes the problem to the fact that higher education institutions are offering the lion’s share of vocational courses.

“They offer too many seats in vocational courses,” he moans.

The Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, for instance, is running enough vocational courses to cover all the seats available at ten other vocational schools.

Tran Trung Lac, vice principal of Humane Job Training School in District 3, adds that students certainly prefer the vocational courses offered by junior colleges and universities over those offered by vocational schools, since it would be easier for them to study for a degree there after graduation.

“It’s a matter of dog-eat-dog competition,” Lac remarks.

“Higher education institutions in other countries only teach undergraduate and graduate programs, but in Vietnam they even run vocational courses,” he protests.

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