by Ngoc Bich
In the past few days, there has been a stir in public opinion about the decision of central Da Nang City’s People’s Committee to sue two of its former employees if they do not pay back fivefold a scholarship granted to them by the city to study abroad.
The two have been accused of abruptly breaching contracts. This is the first time the city has issued such a harsh punishment for such an offence.
Under the contracts signed with the city, all applicants applying for a scholarship under the high-quality human resource development programme must commit to work for city agencies for seven years if they study abroad and five years if they study locally.
Nguyen Van Chien, deputy director of the Da Nang Centre for Human Resources Development, told local newspapers that the city had offered the programme since 2004.
“It grants full scholarships to talented students and city employees to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Viet Nam and abroad. If they fail to realise their commitments, they have to pay compensation equal to five times the money allocated,” he elaborated.
It is said that one of the two people in question married a British man and followed him to live in the UK, while the other went abroad to pursue a PhD course, without the city’s permission
Dao Trong Thi, chairman of the National Assembly Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children, said the punishment was reasonable and lawful because the money was from State budget or more exactly, was paid by taxpayers. Those who do not fulfill their contracts must take their full responsibility.
However, he said, the country, particularly State agencies, should not only have preferential policies to make them stay at their working places, but also have policies to ensure their talent was used properly.
Nguyen Xuan Tung from the Ministry of Justice partly blamed the brain-drain in State agencies on low-salaries. But the more important thing, according to him, was the working environment. In fact, he said the ability of talented people was sometimes not judged fairly and they were placed in positions that did not help develop their strengths.
Associate Professor Vo Van Sen, dean of the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, told Vietnamnet online newspaper that about 10 per cent of its teachers awarded scholarships to study abroad petitioned to quit their job when returning to Viet Nam.
Their argument is that it is not obligatory for those who obtain a scholarship from foreign organisations to return to the school, because the organisations often only required them to return to their home countries and contribute to any agency. Therefore, the school should not do anything apart from encouraging them to stay.
One of my friends who received a scholarship to study in Australia and is working for a State agency in Viet Nam said she had witnessed many cases in which people receiving State scholarships to study abroad tried to seek ways to stay in the foreign country after finishing their courses.
“They even don’t want to return home, not to mention working for State authorities or companies they used to work for,” she said.
“I find it unacceptable. People often think that those who received scholarships have talent, but I think they are not talented at all if they only take the opportunity of studying abroad to serve their personal purposes. They are not faithful and loyal people.
“These people cannot use unsatisfactory working conditions as an excuse to walk away. Every place has its own shortcomings, and the State needs them to come back to fix them,” she said.
“I believe the punishment is praiseworthy as it is a warning for people who fail to adhere to their commitment,” she added.
Associate Professor Do Van Dung, dean of the HCM City University of Technical Education, said the decisive factor was the employees’ self-awareness, thus, there should be ways to promote them to come back voluntarily rather than by force.
This writer believes that a person who receives a scholarship granted either by foreign organisations or State agencies, whether they sign a contract with their employers or not, should not forget what helped them get the scholarship in the first place. It is not only academic achievements in schools, but also experiences gained through a process of practice in the workplace. — VNS
Đăng ký: VietNam News