Ministry of Education and Training rejects proposal to make People's Artist equivalent to PhD

At a recent working session between the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education and the Hanoi University of Theatre and Cinema on the implementation of policies and laws on doctoral training, the school requested a special mechanism for lecturers with the titles of Meritorious Artist and People's Artist to be considered equivalent to a master's or doctoral degree to suit the training profession.

This information immediately attracted public attention.

Dr. Pham Nhu Nghe, Deputy Director of the Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Education and Training) said that the criteria for training master's and doctoral degrees and the criteria for evaluating meritorious artists and people's artists are completely different. Therefore, it is impossible to convert them into equivalents.

“It is normal for schools to make requests and proposals, and they have the right to make requests based on the school’s difficulties. However, to get approval, there must be a scientific basis, it cannot be arbitrary,” said Mr. Nghe.

Currently, the Law on Higher Education does not have any regulations on the equivalence between doctoral, master's degrees and people's artist and meritorious artist degrees. Therefore, that proposal cannot be accepted.

“To obtain a doctorate, students must apply and pass the entrance exam to be admitted to a university. After being admitted, they must study a training program of that university according to very strict regulations. Or to become a master, they must write a thesis, to become a doctor, they must write a dissertation,... and there are evaluation councils. Only when all conditions are met will they be awarded a doctorate or master's degree.

Meanwhile, People's Artist and Meritorious Artist are titles awarded by the State to people who have made many important contributions to art and also have very strict criteria. Even professors and doctors who have worked hard all their lives are not awarded the title of People's Artist. Thus, it can be said that these are two different schools," Mr. Nghe said and believed that they cannot be replaced, especially in teaching.

According to Mr. Nghe, the Law on Higher Education clearly stipulates the qualifications of lecturers. Specifically, lecturers teaching at the university level must have a master's degree or higher; those teaching at the master's level must have a doctorate degree or higher; those teaching at the doctoral level must have a minimum doctorate degree, etc.

Art schools have few lecturers with doctoral degrees, so Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema may want to convert the title of People's Artist to that of Doctor to make it easier to open majors and teach.

Mr. Nghe also said that, in a specific field like art, there are many good artists but not many who go to school to get a doctorate.

“Understanding this particularity, in Circular No. 02/2022/TT-BGDDT stipulating the conditions, order, and procedures for opening undergraduate, master's, and doctoral training programs, the Ministry of Education and Training clearly states that for undergraduate training programs in the field of art, it is only necessary to ensure that there are 3 PhDs as full-time lecturers with appropriate expertise, instead of 5 PhDs as in general,” said Mr. Nghe.

On the same day, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thi, Principal of Hanoi University of Theatre and Cinema, said that there were misunderstandings in the school's proposal.

The school's proposal wants to be considered equivalent, not "parallel", that a meritorious artist/people's artist must have a master's/doctorate degree.

According to Mr. Thi, the school also does not propose that all people's artists be considered equivalent to PhDs, but only proposes that people's artists teach at the Hanoi University of Theatre and Cinema, in order to meet the regulations on opening majors.

“We fully understand the difference between a degree and a title, and we have no intention of asking for a degree for Meritorious Artists or People's Artists. To obtain a Master's or Doctorate degree, one must undergo formal training, defend a thesis, etc., while the title Meritorious Artist or People's Artist is a recognition of dedication.

That proposal is only for application, to facilitate the determination of enrollment targets and to meet the regulations when opening new major codes for art majors. It is absolutely not intended to replace the training of PhDs and Masters. Because postgraduate and PhD training must follow the general regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training," said Mr. Thi.

The school proposes that lecturers with the title of People's Artist be considered equivalent to a doctorate degree to meet the criteria of needing 5 doctors according to regulations when opening a training major, ensuring training quality conditions, and determining quotas for majors according to Circular 08 of the Ministry of Education and Training.

The proposal for equivalence is for people's artists to participate in the master's and doctoral training process. It does not mean that people's artists enjoy the same benefits as doctors, from salary to personnel.

"That means the proposal has no intention of taking advantage of the opportunity to obtain a doctorate degree with the title of People's Artist," Mr. Thi affirmed.

According to Vietnamnet