The Ministry of Education and Training is drafting a Decree detailing a number of articles of the Law on Higher Education. In particular, the Ministry of Education and Training proposes to specify in detail the authority and procedures for appointment, dismissal, transfer, rotation, and transfer of directors, vice directors of national universities, principals, and vice principals of higher education institutions.
The proposal for the above content is due to the Law on Higher Education removing the regulation on School Councils for public higher education institutions and at the same time transferring the authority to the Minister of Education and Training to regulate the structure, standards for school council members, tasks, powers, and terms; the process of electing, appointing, and dismissing chairmen and members of private school councils; the operating and supervision mechanism of private school councils (before being stipulated in the Law).
The Decree detailing a number of articles of the Law on Higher Education is expected to take effect from January 1, 2026.
Repeat Decree No. 141/2013/ND-CP and Decree No. 99/2019/ND-CP; abolish Articles 104 and 105 of Decree No. 125/2024/ND-CP.
Article 13 of the draft stipulates the authority and procedures for appointing, dismissing, transferring, rotating, and transferring directors, vice directors of national universities, principals, and vice principals of higher education institutions as follows:
1. Authority
a) The Minister of Education and Training has the authority to appoint university directors, university vice directors, deputy directors of national universities; principals, vice principals and equivalent positions of public higher education institutions under his/her management;
b) Heads of agencies directly managing public higher education institutions have the authority to appoint principals, vice principals and equivalent positions of affiliated public higher education institutions;
c) The Board of Directors of private higher education institutions has the authority to appoint university directors, university vice directors, principals, vice principals and equivalent positions of private higher education institutions after the investor has agreed on the personnel plan;
d) The person authorized to appoint is authorized to dismiss, remove from office, transfer, or transfer university director, university vice director, principal, vice principal and equivalent positions of a higher education institution.
2. Procedures for appointment, dismissal, transfer, rotation, and transfer of university directors, principals, vice principals, and equivalent positions of public higher education institutions shall comply with the provisions of the law on civil servants for management officials.
3. Procedures for appointment, dismissal, transfer, rotation, and transfer of university directors, university vice directors, principals, vice principals, and equivalent positions of private higher education institutions:
a) Based on the prescribed personnel standards, the school council of a private higher education institution shall select and propose a personnel plan to the investor. After the investor has a written agreement on the personnel plan, the school council will appoint personnel;
b) In case there are no principal or equivalent personnel and the school council is not active, the investor shall have a written document directly assigning personnel who meet the principal's standards to temporarily perform the principal's duties and powers until the principal is appointed according to regulations;
c) The detailed order and procedures for appointment, dismissal, transfer, rotation, and transfer are decided by the level playing golf education institution and are specified in the regulations on organization and operation of private higher education institutions in accordance with relevant legal provisions;
d) Within 5 working days from the date of changes in university directors, university vice directors, principals, vice principals and equivalent, private higher education institutions shall report in writing to the Ministry of Education and Training and the People's Committee of the province where the institution is headquartered.
The draft was submitted by the Ministry of Education and Training for comments until December 27, 2025.
