Circular No. 21/2018/TT-BLDTBXH stipulates criteria for determining high-quality programs at the intermediate and higher college levels.

CIRCULAR

REGULATIONS ON CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING HIGH QUALITY PROGRAMS AT THE COLLEGE AND UNDERGRADUATE LEVELS
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Pursuant to the Law on Vocational Education dated November 27, 2014;

Pursuant to Decree No. 48/2015/NĐ-CP dated May 15, 2015, of the Government detailing certain provisions of the Vocational Education Law;

Based on Decree No. 1Decree No. 4/2017/NĐ-CP dated February 17, 2017 of the Government stipulating functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs;Director of the General Department of Vocational Education;

At the proposal of the Inspector General Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs issues this Circular on criteria for determining high quality programs at the college and undergraduate levels.

This Circular stipulates criteria for determining high quality programs at the college and undergraduate levels including: training programs, lecturers teaching high quality programs, infrastructure, teaching equipment, students, and management organization of high quality programs.c) Participating in assessing the conditions of food production and business establishments in the area according to the分级回复

PART I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular applies to vocational colleges, college-level institutions, and universities that have registered to offer high quality programs at the college and undergraduate levels (hereinafter referred to as institutions).

Article 2. Applicability

High quality program

Article 3. Explanation of Terms

In this Circular, the following terms are understood as follows:

1. is a training program at the college and undergraduate levels that meets the conditions specified in the Law on Vocational Education and this Circular. Criteria for determining high quality programs

2. include provisions on training programs, lecturers, infrastructure and equipment, students, organization and management of training to meet the requirements of implementing high quality programs. Article 4. Purpose of criteria for determining high quality programs

Criteria for determining high quality programs serve as a basis for institutions to determine training costs, invest in infrastructure and equipment, hire lecturers, instructors, and experts to implement high quality programs, thereby setting tuition fees commensurate with investment costs as stipulated in Clause 6, Article 29 of the Law on Vocational Education.

CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING HIGH QUALITY PROGRAMS AT THE COLLEGE AND UNDERGRADUATE LEVELS

Chapter II
Article 5. High Quality Training Programs

1. A high quality training program must fully comply with the regulations for a regular training program established in accordance with Circular No. 03/2017/TT-BLDTBXH dated March 1, 2017 of the Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and meet the following criteria:

a) The exit standard must be higher than the exit standard of a regular training program regarding specialized knowledge, skills, and occupational qualities;

b) Graduates' foreign language proficiency must reach level 4/6 for foreign language and cultural studies groups according to the Vietnamese Foreign Language Proficiency Framework, or equivalent; level 2/6 for college level and level 3/6 for undergraduate level for other groups;

c) Students' information technology proficiency in non-information technology and computer-related fields must meet the minimum standard for IT skills as prescribed by the Ministry of Information and Communications;

2. For transferred programs, international joint training programs, and training programs commissioned by enterprises that satisfy the criteria set forth in this Circular shall be recognized as high quality training programs.

For transfer programs, joint training programs with foreign countries, and training programs commissioned by enterprises that meet the criteria specified in this Circular, they shall be recognized as high-quality training programs.

Article 6. Teachers teaching high-quality programs

1. Teachers teaching high-quality programs must fully meet the professional and pedagogical standards for each field and trade according to current regulations.

2. Teachers teaching basic knowledge content and specialized content must have a bachelor's degree or higher for intermediate vocational training, and a master's degree or higher for college-level training, corresponding to the field and trade they are involved in teaching. Teachers guiding and teaching practical content must have at least three years of practical work experience in the relevant field or trade.

3. Teachers teaching content in foreign languages within high-quality programs must have a minimum level of proficiency in foreign languages at Level 4/6 according to the Vietnamese Foreign Language Competency Framework or equivalent.

Article 7. Physical infrastructure and teaching equipment for high-quality programs

1. The physical infrastructure and teaching equipment for high-quality programs must fully meet the standards set out in current regulations regarding physical infrastructure and teaching equipment for each field and trade, and must satisfy the following requirements:

a) Classrooms for high-quality program training must be designed as specialized classrooms with conditions sufficient to conduct integrated theoretical and practical teaching methods, equipped with computers connected to the internet and other teaching and learning aids suitable for the field and trade;

b) Adequate textbooks and reference materials from both domestic and international sources, regularly updated; libraries and electronic libraries for teachers and students to access information and utilize in teaching, learning, and scientific research;

c) Sufficient laboratories, workshops, and internships; necessary simulation software for teaching students and other required physical facilities according to the high-quality program requirements specified by the school;

d) Mobilize physical infrastructure and equipment resources from participating businesses for the high-quality program training process.

2. For programs transferred from abroad, they must meet the requirements for physical infrastructure and teaching equipment for each program of the transferring country.

Article 8. Students in high-quality programs

1. Students in high-quality programs must meet all the conditions for intermediate and college-level education as stipulated in current regulations and must satisfy the following requirements:

a) Achieve satisfactory results in middle school and high school;

b) Have a minimum incoming level of proficiency in foreign languages at Level 2/6 for language and foreign culture fields; at Level 1/6 for other fields according to the Vietnamese Foreign Language Competency Framework or equivalent;

c) Foreign students in high-quality programs must have a minimum equivalent diploma to a Vietnamese middle school or high school diploma, with Vietnamese language proficiency meeting the training program requirements specified by the school principal;

d) Voluntarily participate in the program and commit to paying tuition fees as prescribed by the educational institution for the high-quality program.

Article 9. Organization and management of training

1. Training organization The implementation of high-quality programs must fully comply with current regulations on intermediate and higher vocational education as stipulated in the Vocational Education Law and must ensure the following requirements:

a) High-quality training programs must involve cooperation and participation of enterprises in the training process. At least 30% of the program duration should be allocated for students to practice and intern at enterprises, production facilities, businesses, and service providers within the same field of study.

b) There must be a cooperation training contract signed between the school and the enterprise, clearly defining the objectives and requirements for students during their practical training at the enterprise.

2. Credentials of high-quality programs Graduates of high-quality intermediate and higher vocational programs will be awarded diplomas by the schools corresponding to their level and field of study. The diploma will include the additional notation: "High-Quality Program".

3. Career counseling and employment activities

a) Schools implementing high-quality programs must have a dedicated department responsible for providing job placement counseling to graduates.

b) There must be a commitment to train according to specific needs or to introduce employment opportunities for graduates; it must be ensured that over 80% of graduates find employment or create self-employment in their field of study or continue their studies at higher levels.

Chapter III
IMPLEMENTATION

Article 10. Responsibilities of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs

1. To take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries, sectors, and localities in directing schools registered for high-quality programs to implement them in accordance with this Circular.

2. To inspect, supervise, and direct provincial labor departments to inspect and supervise the implementation of intermediate and higher high-quality programs.

3. To decide to suspend the implementation of high-quality programs by schools if they fail to meet training quality standards and other accreditation criteria.

Article 11. Responsibilities of the management agencies of intermediate and higher vocational schools

1. To coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to direct and facilitate conditions for affiliated schools to properly implement intermediate and higher high-quality programs.

2. To inspect conditions and supervise the implementation of high-quality programs by affiliated schools; to urge updates, revisions, and supplements to high-quality programs to align with advancements in science, technology, and the labor market.

3. To provide material conditions, foster the development of teaching staff, and invest funds to enable schools to implement high-quality programs.

Article 12. Responsibilities of intermediate and higher vocational schools

1. To develop a proposal to implement high-quality programs in accordance with the criteria set out in this Circular; to establish a Quality Assurance Board for high-quality programs with the participation of enterprises and state management agencies in vocational education. For new fields not yet registered for vocational education activities, schools must complete the registration procedures for vocational education activities in accordance with Decree No. 143/2016/NĐ-CP dated October 14, 2016 of the Government on investment and operation conditions in the vocational education sector before developing the proposal.

2. The school principal shall issue a decision approving the high-quality program of the school, report to the management agency and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. Twenty days after issuing the approval decision, the school may organize admissions.

3. To submit written reports to the management agency and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs on the results of implementing high-quality programs. At the end of each course, there must be reviews, evaluations, adjustments, and supplements to improve the quality of training programs.

Article 13. Implementation Provisions

1. This Circular takes effect from January 15, 2019.

2. The General Department of Vocational Education, schools, and related agencies are responsible for enforcing this Circular./.