World Bank Funds $155M to Support Autonomous Higher Education in Vietnam

The World Bank on May 15 approved $155 million in financing to a $174 million project to strengthen the research, teaching, and institutional capacity of three autonomous universities and improve the management of Vietnam’s higher education system. The International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for low-income countries, will provide $155 million to the project, with the Vietnamese government providing the remaining financing. More than 150,000 students and 3,900 faculty members at three universities including (1) Vietnam’s National University of Agriculture, (2) the University of Science and Technology in Hanoi, and (3) the Industry University of Ho Chi Minh City will benefit from this program, according to the bank’s news release. In addition, some 600,000 students and 27,000 lecturers from other higher education institutions will also gain access to a digital library at the National Economics University. The project will support the financing of new facilities and equipment for teaching and research, as well as the strengthening management systems. Science and technology universities as well as research oriented institutions will have generalized lessons to inform policies on autonomy and quality assurance for the universities. Additional objectives of the of the project include support for the strengthening if the key components of higher education – such as the national accreditation system, as well as efforts to share the lessons learned by the beneficiary universities. The project will also support policy analysis for sustainable financing and autonomy and the development of an information management system and a shared e-library. (World Bank Press Release May 15)