The Department of Quality Management (Ministry of Education and Training) has sent a document to Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy regarding the use of foreign language proficiency certificates. This is related to the use of foreign language certificates in postgraduate admissions, including the school's IELTS certificate.

According to this document, the Department of Quality Management (Ministry of Education and Training) said it had received a dispatch from Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy asking about foreign language proficiency certificates.

According to the opinion of the Department of Quality Management, foreign language proficiency certificates that were organized and issued before the effective date of Circular No. 11/2022/TT-BGDDT dated July 26, 2022 of the Minister of Education and Training on joint organization of foreign language proficiency exams and certificates (September 10, 2022) are valid as proof of foreign language proficiency in enrollment and training according to regulations.

The TOEFL iBT and TOEIC English proficiency certificates organized by IIG Vietnam Joint Stock Company in cooperation with the Educational Testing Service (ETS) of the United States have been permitted by the Minister of Education and Training to organize exams before the effective date of Circular No. 11/2022/TT-BGDDT. Therefore, the above certificates are valid as proof of foreign language proficiency in admissions and training.

Thus, with this document, the Department of Quality Management (Ministry of Education and Training) has affirmed that foreign language proficiency certificates organized and issued before July 26, 2022 are valid, including IELTS certificates.

Regarding this incident, as Thanh Nien reported, in this year's post-graduate admission announcement, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy said it would only accept certificates that were taken after the Ministry of Education and Training issued a decision approving schools to organize exams to grant degrees and certificates. In this list, IELTS certificates will be taken at 19 locations starting from November 17, 2022.

When receiving student applications, the school does not accept international language certificates issued before the approval decision date, including foreign language certificates issued before the effective date of Circular 11/2022 of the Ministry of Education and Training (this circular was issued on July 26, 2022, effective from September 10, 2022). This affects the application process of candidates.

Expressing its opinion on this issue, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy said that the foreign language requirement for the university's postgraduate entrance exam application is implemented in accordance with the regulations on master's and doctoral admissions and related regulations to ensure the quality of input conditions. This condition is updated annually and approved by the university's Science and Training Council and the Graduate Admissions Council. With this regulation this year, the university has anticipated some difficulties for candidates when submitting their application. Therefore, the university has announced to candidates that there are some solutions for candidates to have nearly 2 months from the date of admission announcement to complete the foreign language proficiency certificate.

However, sharing more with Thanh Nien Newspaper reporter, a candidate said that the way of doing things of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy is quite mechanical and the solution given by the school has not solved the problem, causing damage to the rights of candidates. I think, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy needs to reconsider the use of international foreign language certificates in enrollment and training. Especially in the context that the Ministry of Education and Training has affirmed the value of certificates tested and granted before the issuance of Circular 11/2022. Besides, other universities are still using these certificates in entrance exams and evaluating output standards. Even certificates with a validity of 2 years are still used to apply for admission to foreign universities.