THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

DECIDES

Article 1.- To promulgate together with this Decision the Provisional Regulation on Job-Training- Intermediate Vocational- Tertiary Accreditation.

Article 2.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its signing.

Article 3.- The directors of the Office, the Department for Universities, the Department for Intermediate Vocational Training and Job Training, the Department for Planning and Finance and the principals of relevant schools shall have to implement this Decision.

Minister of Education and Training
NGUYEN MINH HIEN

Article 1.- Concepts and purposes

1. Accreditation means a training process which allows the recognition and transfer of study and training results of trainees from one level to one or several other levels or in other branches of the same level within the educational and training system.

2. The Regulation on accreditation aims to create legal bases for intermediate vocational training schools, colleges and universities to draw up their training programs, organize the training process and recognize the study results, professional knowledge and skills of trainees so that their accreditation processes take place smoothly with high quality and high efficiency.

Article 2.- Regulation scope

This Regulation shall apply to schools which are permitted by the Ministry of Education and Training to experiment the accreditation.

Article 3.- Subjects entitled to accreditation

1. Persons who have graduated from formal courses of job-training schools, intermediate vocational schools and colleges, and wish to further their studies.

2. Persons who have graduated from overseas formal training courses at levels equivalent to the job-training, intermediate vocational and college levels of Vietnam, which must be recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 4.- General principles and conditions for conducting accreditation

1. Schools which are allowed to organize accreditation must satisfy the conditions on the training quality.

2. The training programs must be elaborated on the following principles:

- They are designed according to soft principles and developed along the direction of inheritance and accumulation so as to minimize the time for re-study of the knowledge and skills they have already accumulated from other study levels.

- They must truthfully reflect the training objectives, study requirements, contents, teaching and learning methods, training duration, implementation plans and evaluation methods based on qualification and corresponding training disciplines.

- The designed training programs must suit the conditions on ensuring the training quality.

- At the experimental stage, the training programs must be inscribed in accreditation agreements to be submitted to the Ministry of Education and Training for approval.

3. The procedures to recruit trainees and organize the training must ensure the principles of fairness, democracy and publicity, creating equal opportunity for every people.

4. The accreditation disciplines and quotas shall be approved annually by the Ministry of Education and Training on the basis of personnel requirement of each economic branch and each locality as well as the conditions on ensuring the training quality of schools.

5. The lists of accreditation disciplines must ensure the consistency in program contents and belong to the list of the training disciplines already titles and promulgated by the State.

Chapter 2

TASKS AND POWERS OF SCHOOLS

Article 5.- Tasks of schools engaged in accreditation

1. Schools which plan to experiment the accreditation must complete all procedures prescribed in Article 11 of this Regulation.

2. Schools which organize the accreditation must take initiative in creating sources of recruited trainees and resources in service of the training.

3. Schools which organize the accreditation must elaborate their training programs according to the requirements stated in Clause 2 of Article 4.

4. To organize experimental accreditation courses at the request of the Ministry of Education and Training.

5. To strictly observe other legal documents relating to training (recruitment examinations, teaching, learning, evaluation tests, tuition rates�).

Article 6.- Powers of the schools engaged in experimental accreditation

1. All job-training, intermediate vocational training and tertiary education establishments within the national education system are entitled to align with one another for accreditation on the principles agreed upon under the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.

2. The experimental accreditation quotas shall be separately assigned by the Ministry of Education and Training and not included in the training quotas for recruitment planning year.

Chapter 3

IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION AND EVALUATION SUPERVISION

Article 7.- Councils for elaboration of accreditation programs

Intermediate vocational training schools, colleges and universities shall set up Councils for elaboration of accreditation programs. The organization and operation mechanism of the Councils shall be prescribed by the school principals.

Article 8.- The National Accreditation Council

The Councils for branch accreditation at various training levels on the national scale shall be decided under decisions of the Minister of Education and Training. The organization and operation of these Councils shall comply with the provisions in the Charter of the National Accreditation Council, promulgated by the chairman of the Council.

Article 9.- The principles for alignment and agreement in accreditation

1. The alignment between two schools for accreditation must be recorded in a written agreement on the contents relating to the accreditation. These contents shall include:

- The responsibility for elaboration and organization of implementation of the training programs;

- The commitment to observe the Education and Training Ministry�s regulations on relevant matters;

- The framework agreement on matters of mutual concern of the two parties and other cooperation plans related to training.

2. The recognition of the training quality between the trainee- transferring school and the trainee-receiving school shall be undertaken by the schools themselves. The relevant departments of the Ministry of Education and Training shall have to join the training establishments in supervising the quality of training programs, the process of organizing the training and the issuance of training diplomas and certificates.

3. The training programs must strictly comply with the contents inscribed in the agreements on accreditation cooperation.

4. The trainee- receiving schools shall apply their own recruitment criteria and base themselves on the recruitment examination results obtained by such trainees.

5. The trainee- receiving school and the trainee- transferring school must regularly inform each other of matters related to the accreditation agreement. Each of them must not alter at its own will the agreed conditions without consultation with its partner.

6. A school may negotiate and sign accreditation agreements with many schools. Each accreditation agreement is only valid for the two schools which sign the agreement.

7. The negotiation and signing of an agreement shall be effected by representatives authorized by two schools.

Article 10.- Mutual recognition of trainees� study results between two schools in accreditation agreement

1. The recognition of the study results of trainees within the national education system must be based on the equivalent in training contents, study requirements, training duration and actual tests at the time of training.

2. The recognition of training diplomas and certificates of persons who have graduated from overseas training courses for their entrance into colleges or universities in Vietnam must be based on the equivalent in the training program contents, study results, training duration and actual evaluation tests. The translations of diploma appellations and mark sheets from foreign languages into Vietnamese must be notarized in Vietnam or the originals thereof must be produced to the training establishments when so requested.

3. Depending on the training process in each school, trainees may have their study results recognized according to credits, units, subject study programs and whole course results in order to enjoy immunities.

4. If a school refuses to recognize the study results of a trainee who has graduated from another school, it must make a written reply, clearly stating the reasons therefor. The time limit for making reply to the involved parties shall be one month as from the date of receiving their requests.

Article 11.- Procedures for experimental accreditation registration

1. Schools which plan to experiment the accreditation must submit their dossiers to the Steering Committee for Elaboration of Accreditation Program of the Ministry of Education and Training after getting the approval from their managing agencies. Such a dossier shall include:

- A report to the Ministry of Education and Training with the proposal of the managing agency. The report must clearly state the training discipline (confirming the training demand); the training establishment; the organization of the training process; the alignment partner (if any); the proposed training quotas; the recruitment criteria, forms and conditions; tuition fees; conditions on ensuring training quality and commitments to ensure quality.

- The accreditation agreement between the parties.

- The training program.

- The training plan.

2. After receiving the dossiers addressed to the Ministry of Education and Training, the standing body of the Steering Committee for Elaboration of Accreditation Program ( The Department for Universities and the Department for Intermediate Vocational Training and Job-Training) shall submit its written opinions to the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Training for issuing decisions to permit the experimental training.

3. The decisions officially replying the training establishments shall be issued within 30 days as from the date of receiving full dossiers as provided for in Clause 2 of this Article.

Article 12.- Organization of experimental accreditation courses

1. The training duration shall be determined on the basis of the training contents, methods of organizing the training, teaching and practicing conditions to achieve the training objectives (according to qualification standards). The duration for accreditation from the intermediate vocational level to the collegial level shall not be less than one year and six months and not exceed two years. The duration for accreditation from the collegial level to the university level shall not be less than one year and six months and not exceed two years.

2. The compulsory study subjects shall be determined by the schools on the basis of the approved training programs.

3. In cases where it is necessary to organize supplementary courses for persons who have passed the recruitment examinations so as to enable them to further their study at higher levels, the schools shall have to organize such courses before starting the accreditation. The duration of a supplementary training course shall not exceed two months and not be calculated into the accreditation duration prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article.

4. The experimental accreditation must be organized in form of formal concentrated training.

Article 13.- Management of accreditation

1. The Department for Universities and the Department for Intermediate Vocational Training and Job Training shall have to manage the accreditation programs, guide and assist schools in developing the training programs and supervise the implementation of regulations.

2. Each school shall assign a section with the function to organize the alignment, draw up programs, determine accreditation courses, advise and guide trainees, supervise, evaluate and report on the implementation process.

Article 14.- Archival of training dossiers

Dossiers related to accreditation should be uniformly archived in order to serve the study, supervision, evaluation and inspection when necessary. The to be archived dossiers shall include:

- Dossiers on preparation of accreditation dossiers;

- The lecturing plan and roll-call books of the lecturers;

- The book of monitoring of implementation of funding and tuition fees of trainees and students;

- Semester examination results;

- Result books and diploma and certificate-granting books.

Article 15.- Supervision and evaluation

The schools must supervise the following criteria:

- The number of trainees and students, who have graduated, dropped out, repeated a class or been disciplined;

- The number of trainees and students who get jobs one year after their graduation;

- Adjustments in the training process regarding the programs, organization of teaching and learning, actual evaluation tests;

- Necessary recommendations.

Article 16.- Reporting regime

1. Once a year at the end of a school- year, schools aligned in accreditation must send their reports on the implementation of the accreditation programs according to the above evaluation criteria to training partners, superior managing bodies and the Ministry of Education and Training.

2. Apart from the evaluation figures, the report contents must express the schools� analyses of the training quality and efficiency.

Chapter 4

RESPONSIBILITIES AND RIGHTS OF TRAINEES

Article 17.- Responsibilities of trainees

1. Trainees who wish to sit for accreditation recruitment exams must fill in the exam registration papers and fully submit dossiers and fees as required. In case of necessity, trainees must produce the originals of their granted certificates or diplomas.

2. The trainees must sit for a recruitment exam with one specialized subject and one basic subject.

3. When recruited, the trainees must pay tuition fees according the general regulations of the State.

4. The trainees must abide by all other training regulations.

Article 18.- Rights of trainees

1. Trainees shall be recruited on the following principle: Persons who graduated excellent shall be entitled to take a recruitment exam immediately after their graduation. The exam results shall be added with 1 to 2 points to be decided by the school principals. Persons who graduated good shall be entitled to take a recruitment exam immediately after their graduation; persons who graduated medium must have at least two years� working experiences in their trained specialties so as to be able to take the recruitment exams.

Trainees entitled to social policies shall be given priority according to the current enrollment regulations issued by the Ministry of Education and Training when they take the recruitment exams.

2. Trainees, before starting their training courses at the transferring schools, must be provided with information on compatible training courses, the pre-conditions, forms of examinations and other requirements on which the receiving schools shall base to recruit trainees.

3. Trainees may request the educational and training establishments to supply educational facilities with quality as announced.

Chapter 5

EXAMINATIONS, TESTS AND GRADUATION RECOGNITION

Article 19.- Organizing examinations and tests at intermediate vocational training schools, colleges and universities

The examinations and tests must comply with the current regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, applicable to formal training.

Article 20.- Graduation recognition

1. The recognition of graduation shall comply with the Regulation on organizing formal college and university training, examinations, tests and graduation recognition, issued together with Decision No. 04/1999/QD-BGD of February 11, 1999 of the Minister of Education and Training.

2. Trainees who have graduated from formal accreditation courses shall have their graduation diplomas written with such formal training form. In accreditation, it is forbidden to change the diploma appellation from informal training system to formal training system.

Article 21.- Non-recognition of graduation

Graduation diplomas shall not be granted and graduation shall not be recognized in the following cases:

1. The dossiers of registration for recruitment are untruthful;

2. Trainees have failed to complete their training programs;

3. The training establishments fail to abide by the regulations on recruitment exams, fail to implement the training programs and organize the training process as already registered with the Ministry of Education and Training.

Minister of Education and Training
NGUYEN MINH HIEN