Accreditation of Viet Nam’s higher education. Achievements and challenges after a dozen years of development
| Published date | 04 September 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-11-2016-0075 |
| Pages | 475-488 |
| Date | 04 September 2017 |
| Author | Huu Cuong Nguyen,Colin Evers,Stephen Marshall |
| Subject Matter | Education,Curriculum, instruction & assessment,Educational evaluation/assessment |
Accreditation of Viet Nam’s
higher education
Achievements and challenges after a dozen
years of development
Huu Cuong Nguyen,Colin Evers and Stephen Marshall
School of Education, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to investigatethe development of Viet Nam’s approach to higher
education quality assurance during the past dozen years since its establishment, focusing on the
achievementsand challenges.
Design/methodology/approach –This is a desktop analysisstudy. The paper analyses the policies and
practices related to the development of Viet Nam’s higher education accreditation system by reviewing
associatedliterature.
Findings –The research has found out that there are several achievements, including: the
development of the accreditation framework; establishment of accrediting agencies; completion of
almost universities’self-assessment reports; implementation of external assessment exercise at some
institutions, a few of which were awarded accreditation certificates. However, there remain a number of
challenges related to the independence of the accrediting agencies, human resources, accreditation
standards and criteria, institutions’awareness about accreditation and the pace of accreditation
implementation.
Research limitations/implications –The primary limitationof this study is the research methodology
which merelyrelies on document analysis. It would be more credibleif the findings could be triangulated with
data takenfrom other sources such as interviews withkey stakeholders.
Originality/value –On the basis of the analysis of achievementsand challenges at both macro and micro
levels, discussion and recommendationsare made for future policy-making and management in the field of
higher educationaccreditation.
Keywords Challenges, Quality assurance, Higher education, Accreditation, Achievements
Paper type Viewpoint
Introduction
The term “accreditation”originated in the USA and accreditation systems based on the
American model havesubsequently been established in many countries worldwide(Harman
and Meek, 2000). The main purposes of such systems are to ensure quality in higher
education, accountability, transparency and facilitation of student mobility (Brown, 2004;
Global UniversityNetwork for Innovation, 2007;Lim, 2001).
In a complex and diverse region such as the Asia-Pacific–which exhibits linguistic,
political, economic and cultural diversity –the quality assurance mechanisms one encounters
are also diverse (Global University Network for Innovation, 2007). In addition to the quality
controls of the education ministries, higher education councils and professional accreditation
bodies, there are approximately 25 accreditation systems at the national level currently
operating in the region. Apart from two systems, which are particularly well-established with
origins in the 1940s and 1950s (Japan, 1947; The Philippines, 1957), a few have been in existence
since the 1980s (for example, South Korea in 1982; Hong Kong in 1990), but most have been
Viet Nam’s
higher
education
475
Received 25 November 2016
Revised 26 February 2017
Accepted 19 June 2017
QualityAssurance in Education
Vol.25 No. 4, 2017
pp. 475-488
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0968-4883
DOI 10.1108/QAE-11-2016-0075
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