From August 20 to 23, 2024, a team of staff and experts from the USAID Partnership for Higher Education Reform (the Project) had a working trip to the member universities of the University of Danang. This visit is part of a series of activities aimed at strengthening university governance and improving the quality of staff evaluations in line with international standards.

Attending the trip were Dr. Nguyen Thi Mai Phuong – Project Deputy Chief of Party and project staff, Professor. Vu Van Yem – Head of the Organization & Personnel Department at Hanoi University of Science and Technology along with members of the project’s expert group, and representatives from units of the University of Danang.

During the working trip, the experts conducted working sessions at the University of Economics, University of Science and Technology, University of Science and Education, University of Technology and Education, the Vietnam-Korea University of Information and Communication Technology, and the University of Medicine and Pharmacy. These sessions focused on providing consultation and support to develop and refine the evaluation system for faculty, administrative staff, and managers at each institution, ensuring that the system meets university’s strategies  and  complies with current government regulations. Specifically:

• • • • Supported the University of Economics in developing a staff evaluation system at pilot units, including the Faculty of Accounting, Faculty of Banking, and the Organization & Administration Office;
      • Supported the University of Science and Technology in developing an evaluation system for administrative staff, with references to the salary levels of each personnel at the Organization & Administration Office;
      • Supported the University of Science and Education in developing an evaluation system for various staff categories at pilot units, including the Faculty of Physics, Faculty of History, and the Organization & Administration Office;
      • Supported the Vietnam-Korea University of Information and Communication Technology in developing an evaluation system for several staff categories at the Organization & Administration Office, the Faculty of Digital Economy and E-Commerce;
      • Supported the University of Technology and Education in developing a staff evaluation system at the Organization & Administration Office and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering;
      • Supported the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in the initial development of staff evaluation system for faculty members;

Additionally, during the workshop held on the morning of August 21 at the University of Science and Technology, Professor Vu Van Yem, head of the expert group, shared practical experiences and provided detailed guidance to representatives of the University of Danang’s units on developing and implementing the evaluation system for administrative staff and managers based on KPIs. Representatives from the University of Science and Technology also shared their pilot results, discussing advantages, and disadvantages of the evaluation methods applied to the Organization & Administration Office. The workshop garnered considerable interest and lively discussions from the representatives of the UD Department of Organization & Personnel and of UD member universities.

The member universities participating in the series of activities highly appreciated the project’s support in accompanying their efforts in education reform towards greater sustainability, autonomy, and enhanced governance quality, aiming to improve the quality of education, scientific research, and to promote a higher education system that meets the development needs of society.

With the consultation from the project’s highly experienced experts, the application of these KPI sets is expected to accurately assess the performance of each personnel within the institutions. It will also motivate and encourage staff to strive for progress, help the university maximize human resource utilization, foster internal unity, and contribute to long-term and sustainable success.