If approved, this will be a very big change in the perception and management of professor and associate professor titles in Vietnam.
For many years, professors and associate professors have often been considered academic titles that recognize the academic achievements of individuals. Once recognized, they are almost associated with the person being awarded throughout their career.
However, in the modern university model in many countries, professor is not simply an academic title but a job position associated with specific tasks in teaching, scientific research and academic leadership.
Therefore, granting the right to appoint professors and associate professors to universities is a step in line with the trend of university autonomy.
When proactively deciding on high-level academic personnel, schools have conditions to build development strategies suitable to their goals instead of completely relying on a centralized review mechanism.
Furthermore, this mechanism also creates positive competition among higher education institutions in attracting and retaining good scientists.
However, along with the expectation of innovation, concerns about the risk of "inflation" of professors and associate professors have also appeared. And that is not an unfounded worry.
Because university autonomy in Vietnam is still in the process of completion. Management capacity, training quality, and research potential between schools still have a fairly large gap.
If full power of appointment is granted without an effective control mechanism, it will be difficult to avoid the risk of one place maintaining high standards, another lowering standards to increase the number of professors and associate professors as a way to enhance position or promote image. At that time, the academic value of the title will certainly decrease.
Therefore, the consideration, recognition and appointment of professors and associate professors in the direction of directly delegating power to higher education institutions must go hand in hand with building a quality assurance mechanism.
In parallel with that is an independent accreditation mechanism, periodic evaluation and public disclosure of academic indicators of professors and associate professors. Information about scientific publications, research topics, research student guidance or professional contributions needs to be transparent so that society, learners and the academic community can jointly supervise.
But autonomy must go hand in hand with accountability and transparent supervision, so that the title of professor and associate professor truly reflects the academic value and substantive contribution of the person appointed.
That is also a way to protect the prestige of higher education and preserve the value of the most noble academic titles.
