US, Vietnam celebrate improvements to higher education in STEM Fields
VOV.VN - The United States Mission to Vietnam, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), celebrated its successful partnership with Vietnam and Arizona State University to improve STEM education in Vietnamese higher education institutions over the last eight years.
Over 200 industry leaders, educators, policymakers, and entrepreneurs attended the event held during the 8th annual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math conference (STEMCON) in Hanoi on August 16.
“Through USAID’s BUILD-IT public-private alliance, the US government is advancing a shared goal with Vietnam to improve higher education and prepare students to be successful in today’s global economy,” said USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Aler Grubbs.
“Together, we harnessed common aspirations and commitment across industry, government, and universities to modernize STEM education, driving economic growth in Vietnam”, he added.
Started in 2015, the US$8.7 million BUILD-IT project leveraged government, private sector, and academic partners' vast capabilities to build strategic leadership skills, advance university autonomy, improve program and instructional quality, and sustain lasting partnerships with the private sector.
The project achieved lasting impact through partnering with eight higher education institutions in Vietnam, namely Can Tho University, University of Da Nang - University of Science and Technology, HCMC University of Technology and Education, Industrial University of HCMC, Vietnam National University HCMC - University of Technology, Lac Hong University, Hanoi University of Industry, and Phenikaa University.
In addition, it has leveraged resources from 20 industry partners for an additional US$8.7 million investment in higher education in Vietnam.
Through these partnerships, 121 educational programs received regional and international accreditation, including, for the first time in Vietnam, 12 program accreditations under ABET, the top international accreditation body for engineering and technology.
Over 2,000 courses redesigned to reflect the needs of the emerging digital workforce while 4,000 university leaders and staff improved their skills in the areas of leadership, strategy, curriculum, and partnerships with industry. Moreover, 4,600 students benefited from project-based curricula activities.
In particular, three Maker Innovation Spaces in Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Can Tho contributed to increasing students' innovation, supporting the university's capacity to incorporate applied projects into its curricula, and fostering strong industry engagement.
These spaces establish a sustainable mechanism to support university students in inventing, building, and launching solutions to technical problems.
