Under the draft regulation, universities willbe able to dictate the channels through which students can entertertiary education programmes from next year.

Thechange sees a departure from the previous general enrollment plan andgives universities an option to apply one of the three channels toenroll new students, including organising university entrance exams andadmitting students twice a year.

They would alsoco-operate with other schools to enroll students or allow them to sitthe national entrance exams to be organised by the ministry.

However, Rector of Vinh University in central Nghe An province DinhXuan Khoa told Giao duc va Thoi dai (Education and Era) newspaper thatthe current enrollment model was capable of meeting his school'srequirements but that new enrollment models were being assessed forimprovements.

The ministry's general enrollment plan was still effective, particularly in making exam questions, he said.

Head of the Training Division of the Hanoi-based ElectricityUniversity Bui Duc Hien told Dan Tri online newspaper that his schoolwas opting to keep the ministry's general enrollment plan.

If schools had their own entrance exam from next year, it would bedifficult for students who already chose universities and spent timestudying subjects for next year's general entrance exam, he said.

Some schools have said they are planning to implement their ownmethods to enroll students. However, there would be no changes in theenrollment mechanism in the near future.

NguyenMinh Ngoc, a 12th grader in Hanoi's Tu Liem district, said ifuniversities applied their own enrollment plans next year, studentswould not have adequate time to adapt to the changes.

Nguyen Duong, an 11th grade student in Cau Giay district, said shecould not use the exam results for one university to apply for anotherif each university had its own enrollment plan.

Deputy Minister Bui Van Ga said at a press briefing held to announce thedraft regulation that universities would prefer to select studentsthrough the current system of national university exams organised by theministry.

Ga noted that public schools did notplan to find students, because they did not worry about the lack ofstudents to enroll. State-owned schools were always the top choice forstudents, he said.

The miniওstry reported that 17universities and colleges had submitted their own enrollment plans tothe ministry - all of them being private schools. The draft regulationis expected to help private schools boost enrollment followingcomplaints about the lack of students.-VNA