Uni lecturers, students avoid scientific research

VietNamNet Bridge – Students are not interested in the scientific projects assigned to them, university instructors prefer giving lectures to conducting research. The Medical University under Hue University and Hung Vuong University have no ongoing scientific research projects. 

The latest report released by agriculture, forestry, pisciculture and medical universities showed that, in the period of 2006-2010, students conducted 6600 research projects. These included 51 projects at the State level, 950 projects at the ministerial level, and 4064 projects at the grassroots level, while there were 427 domestic projects and 211 international projects. The total expenses spent on the projects were more than one billion dong.

Of these, projects in agriculture accounted for 76 percent and 80 percent of the total expenses. Meanwhile, fisheries projects accounted for 10 percent of projects and 15 percent of total expenses. The number of projects and sums spent on the forestry sector was modest, three and three percent. The figures were three percent and two percent, respectively, for the medical and pharmaceutical sectors.

Nguyen Tat Canh, Deputy President of the Agriculture University No 1 admitted that the percentage of students involved in research was very low, just 15-20 percent.

According to Canh, students do not like research because of limited expenditure for every project. Economic-related study branches are given 10 million dong, while polytechnical branches receive 12 million dong.

Dr. Le Van Khoa, Head of the Science Research Management at Can Tho University, remarked that, each year, the school gives students one billion dong for research. The school has 40,000 students, and about 150 projects are conducted every year, including 50 at the ministerial level, 50 at the grassroots level and another 50 local projects.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Pham Hong Son from the Agriculture and Forestry University at Hue University, students are not interested in scientific research, because they only receive several hundreds of thousands of dong.

Canh from the Agriculture and Forestry University, commented that, to do research, students need support from lecturers who act as their guides. Yet, instructors are not interested in the job, because they are busy giving lectures and earning money, and they do not have much time.

For each student, a lecturer gets about 350,000 dong, a sum that is too small to entice them, according to Canh.

He went on to say that researchers always have to accept high risks, and even failure. Therefore, they would rather lecture, because they always receive money and they do not have to fear failure.

Dr. Bui Van Mien from HCM City Agriculture and Forestry University, has also noted that lecturers nowadays like teaching more than research.

“It always requires a very complicated procedure to get money for scientific research, which explains why we cannot encourage lecturers to do research,” Mien explained.

A representative from Thai Nguyen Medical and Pharmaceutical University, also agreed that the current system and policies does not strongly encourage research. Meanwhile, the State just pours money into projects in dribs and drabs.

Source: Tien phong