Waiting for an upgrade project
Facility 2 of the HCMC Vocational School of Agricultural Technology covering an area of nearly 2.5 hectares at No.52 on Street No.500 in Thu Duc City’s Tan Phu Ward has been also reduced in quality with deteriorating classrooms' locked doors in rust. Behind buildings with moss-covered roof tiles, there is a practical workshop area that is full of dust. The dormitory, which has a capacity of 400 students, is empty.
N.T.H, a student of the 48th class in the faculty of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry said that the “outdated” facilities in schools are far worse than the local high school.
The HCMC Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has recently issued a report on several violations that have caused concern among the school's teachers and students. According to inspectors of the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs of the city, the HCMC Vocational School of Agricultural Technology had failed to properly follow the required procedures for organizing, evaluating, and issuing training programs and curricula in the fields of surveying, topography, land administration, irrigation, and general engineering.
In addition, the school assigned the number of classroom teaching hours beyond regular school hours from 63.5 hours to over 150 hours. Furthermore, there are violations in recruitment, tuition collection, and certification issuance. The school also didn’t build training plan for 2022 and 2023 and evaluated to rate teachers in accordance with standards.
During 48 years of establishment and development, the HCMC Vocational School of Agricultural Technology saw its highest enrollment of 4,500 – 5,000 students during peak times. However, the educational facility has faced a stark decline in enrollment over the past five years due to degraded infrastructure and lack of investment. The teaching staff hoped the school’s facilities would be united in accordance with the city’s policy as soon as possible, Deputy Principal in charge of the school Luong The Phuc said.
Improving quality and position with merger
According to a representative of the HCMC Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the department had several working sessions with relevant departments and agencies to provide advice to the city’s authorities on merging the HCMC Vocational School of Agricultural Technology into a public college in the city.
However, the Office of the HCMC People's Committee issued Notice No. 653/TB-VP dated July 12, 2024, delegating the department to continuously coordinate with relevant departments and agencies to examine plans for transferring the HCMC Vocational School of Agricultural Technology to the Management Board of the Hi-tech Agriculture Park of HCMC. Therefore, the merger of the school will not be carried out in Q3 2024, the HCMC Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said.
After the merge, the Management Board of the Hi-tech Agriculture Park of HCMC will continue to direct the HCMC Vocational School of Agricultural Technology to strengthen cooperation with institutes and universities at home and abroad to enhance the value chain and HR training programs in the high-tech agriculture sector, contributing to implementing Politburo’s Resolution 31-NQ/TW on orientations and tasks for the development of HCMC by 2030, with a vision to 2045, the National Target Program on Building New Rural Areas, Resolution 19-NQ/TW on agriculture, farmers and rural areas by 2030 and maintaining the Hi-tech Agriculture Park of HCMC’s leadership position in the country's high-tech agriculture field, Dr. Pham Dinh Dung, Head of the Management Board of the Hi-tech Agriculture Park of HCMC said.
The Management Board of the Hi-tech Agriculture Park of HCMC has currently four affiliated units, including the Center for Vocational Education and Training in Hi-tech Agriculture. The Hi-tech Agriculture Park’s infrastructure has been invested effectively, gradually affirmed its position in the city's agricultural sector and become a model for high-tech agricultural development across the country.
The Management Board of the Hi-tech Agriculture Park of HCMC has created a plan to merge the Center for Vocational Education and Training in the Hi-tech Agriculture and the HCMC Vocational School of Agricultural Technology to take advantage of infrastructures and teaching staff who have trained thousands of students and carried out hundreds of scientific and technological tasks.
The Management Board of the Hi-tech Agriculture Park of HCMC will invest in new equipment for teaching and learning, increase the number of teachers from 59 to 100, and invite local and foreign agriculture experts to participate in teaching and transferring technology to students.
