Strict new regulations on foreign providers and programmes

By Hiep Pham. A new government decree to tighten regulations on foreign-based education institutions and cross-border programmes in Vietnam will come into force this month, aimed at arresting the unregulated proliferation of foreign-linked institutions and raising standards in the sector.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved the new decree 73/2012/ND-CP, often referred to as Decree 73, on 26 September. It will come into effect on 15 November and covers education institutions with foreign links from early childhood education to university level.
For higher education, it specifies a minimum level of investment per student, strict rules on teacher-to-student ratios and on minimum English-language proficiency, as well as regulations on teacher qualifications.
It follows a government order earlier this year to seven higher education providers affiliated with institutions in Singapore, Australia and France, to cease operations and pay fines.
They were said to be violating rules and were denounced as unqualified, unlicensed or even operating as ‘degree mills’.
For the first time, a foreign-owned education institution – Raffles Vietnam, run by Raffles Singapore – had its licence to operate in Vietnam revoked in March because of “continuous violations” of the rules, according to official accounts.
Two other foreign-affiliated institutions – ILA Vietnam and ERC Vietnam – were fined US$10,000 each for ‘illegally’ recruiting students onto several degree courses. Read more...