Educational Leadership Challenges: Vietnam's System of Higher Education
Educational Leadership Challenges: Vietnam’s System of Higher Education Asia Leadership Roundtable 2010 Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change Hong Kong Institute of Education Dr. My Phuong Thanh Ho, Deputy Director, Dean of Division of Education, SEAMEO regional Training Center and Dr. Dennis Berg, Director of Research, Faculty Research and Development, Hoa Sen University, HCMC Abstract There are long lists, published in numerous reports, recited at numerous conferences, contained in numerous newspaper articles, of the challenges facing the systems of education, and especially the system of higher education, within Vietnam. Vietnam is a country that has been invaded, occupied and ravaged by war on more than one occasion, which struggles to retain its dignity, protect its values and find its balance as it moves forward trying to provide a better life for its people. While the challenges of educational management and leadership are apparent through out all systems of education in Vietnam; this paper, focuses on the institutions of higher education. In the past, many have pointed to wars and poverty as the root cause for the challenges facing education in Vietnam. We, on the other hand, would suggest that while the country lacks in the area of resources, both financial and human, the larger impacts today have to do with how the resources are used. There is no doubt that one of the keys to unlocking the aspirations and abilities of this remarkable nation lies in the area of educational leadership. We must also acknowledge that we believe Vietnam presents a unique and special set of problems for those who pursue research related to leadership and change. The key educational leadership challenges facing Vietnam are discussed in an effort to articulate an educational leadership research agenda for the country. The five major areas covered include: The centralized control and administration of the educational systems; The strong resistance to change at all