Abstract:

The recent idea of the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) framework seems to capture the most enthusiasm among educational policy-makers as a promising measure for the existing complicated structure of qualification in Vietnam. While the anticipated positive effects of the NVQ model have been widely heralded, there has been little criticism of the proposal. This article, however, argues instead that the broad rhetoric of the NVQ has to a large extent been disguised by the real nature of the NVQ itself and the pressure of Vietnamese policy makers to adopt a quick fix solution through policy transfer. In doing so, they demonstrate both a disregard, either voluntarily or involuntarily, for the fundamental flawed bases of the NVQ model and a risk of pursuing an impatient approach to policy transfer. The article begins by identifying how the NVQ framework (NVQF) is high on the agenda of vocational education reform in Vietnam. It then explores some problematic aspects of this model which are in fact inherent to its flawed conceptual assumptions. The rest of the article attempts to reveal some challenges that confront policy makers when importing the NVQ model.

Keywords:

National Vocational Qualification, vocational education, challenges, Vietnam.