CC BY
18
Perspectives of Science & Education
International Scientific Electronic Journal ISSN 2307-2334 (Online)
Available: https://pnojournal.wordpress.com/2023-2/23-02/ Accepted: 22 November 2022 Published: 30 April 2023
Trang Do
Humboldt's philosophy of university education
and implication for autonomous education in Vietnam today
Introduction. Higher education plays a particularly important role in the development of a country. The goal of the article is to describe the development of concepts about education in general and higher education in particular to explain the role of education in social life. Humboldt sees higher education as a process toward freedom and the search for true truth. Humboldt's philosophy of higher education is an indispensable requirement in the context of people struggling to escape the influence of the state and church forces. The purpose is to find out the content and principles of higher education, especially meaningful suggestions for building an autonomous education in Vietnam today.
Materials and Methods. The article uses materialist dialectic to analyze Humboldt's philosophy of higher education. In addition, the article also uses methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison and contrast to clarify views on education in the history of human thought from ancient, medieval, modern and modern times, from which to draw the basic contents and principles in the philosophy of higher education of Humboldt.
Results and Discussion. Humboldt is the founder of the University of Berlin - known as the mother of modern universities. It is a new university model based on the philosophy of upholding freedom in learning and teaching, upholding the scientific spirit to seek and discover the truth, and at the same time, combining teaching with scientific research. His liberal education philosophy has contributed to affirming the strength and position of universities. He criticized state intervention in university institutions. Based on the anthropological foundation of emphasizing human diversity, Humboldt's higher education philosophy is truly liberating when it comes to bold views. Humboldt believes that a university is a pure place of science and research, so it is not influenced by any outside force, even from the state. A university is where academic freedom, scientific freedom and other autonomy are guaranteed so that the institution can run smoothly. Universities must have unity between research and teaching. However, Humboldt's philosophy of higher education still contains many issues that need to be considered thoroughly. Specifically, the promotion of internal self-determination requires financial autonomy while the state's investment capital in universities is still quite large; Calling for education to be privatized is still inadequate. The elitist spirit in the Humboldt model is no longer fully relevant in the context of a market economy that tends to lead to the pursuit of targets, which are often related to quality.
Practical significance. Humboldt's liberal philosophy of higher education has a strong influence, dominates and becomes a reality in many countries with advanced education. For Vietnam, Humboldt's higher education philosophy is a meaningful suggestion to build an autonomous education under the country's socio-historical conditions.
Keywords: autonomous education, Humboldt's philosophy, university education, Vietnam today
For Reference:
Do, T. Humboldt's philosophy of university education and implication for autonomous education in Vietnam today. Perspektivy nauki i obrazovania - Perspectives of Science and Education, 62 (2), 549-561. doi: 10.32744/ pse.2023.2.32
_Introduction
niversity is a place to train skilled professionals in a certain field of activity.
Accordingly, higher education is the fastest and most effective way to help the
y___J country achieve its development goals. Therefore, it is necessary for each country
to build a professional, modern higher education system capable of providing human resources for society.
Society entered the civilized age; people always wanted to enjoy an advanced university education. That proves that the establishment and development of universities around the world is an inevitable need. In the middle of the nineteenth century, in order to meet the needs of society's development and at the same time to apply the research results of scientists and the results of the First Industrial Revolution, in Germany, a new type of university with both teaching and research; typically, the University of Berlin (1810) was later renamed Humboldt University. Humboldt University is the ultimate guarantee of knowledge and academic freedom. That is the higher education model proposed by Humboldt with the following principles: (1) Ensuring internal autonomy, (2) Academic freedom, (3) Connecting teaching and scientific research. In building and developing the higher education system, each country has come up with its own educational philosophies suitable for its socio-historical conditions. Among them, Humboldt's higher education philosophy has influenced many universities worldwide, especially in developed countries such as the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada.
The goal of the study is to identify the basic contents of Humboldt's higher education philosophy, thereby expanding the sphere of influence when linking that philosophy to the practice of building autonomous education in Vietnam today. In Vietnam, education has become both a driving force and a goal in the national socio-economic development strategy. Only through education and through education can the Vietnamese people achieve the goal of "rich people, a strong country, fair, democratic and civilized society." In the context of international integration, the higher education system in Vietnam is in need of a directional and suggestive philosophy to make the country's higher education strong, bringing the Vietnamese people to truth - goodness - beauty.
Literature Review
Humboldt's liberal higher education philosophy was rooted in the tradition of ancient Greek philosophy. Therefore, the research will start from the first university in the world -Academy, founded by Plato, until the modern higher education model of the University of Berlin was born, founded by Humboldt. The educational views of debated thinkers revolve around the following topics.
First, education towards freedom. The spirit of freedom was highly exalted in the thought systems of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Plato's allegory of the cave speaks of the effect of liberating people through knowledge. To obtain science and truth, Plato needed "free dialogue", the search for truth in a free atmosphere [1]. Deriving from the theory of
ideas, Plato held that human nature is predetermined by the soul. Each soul has different functions, so education is based on the principle of respecting the natural ability of each person. However, Plato's educated audience was limited to future philosophers and rulers. That was also the general limitation of the philosophers at that time. In ancient Greece, education was for free men to train to govern the state [1].
The liberal tradition continued to flourish during the Enlightenment. Rousseau strongly criticized the old education for "strangling nature" and "forcing the child to carry all kinds of chains" [2]. Since then, he has called for natural education and liberal education because nature wants children to be real children before they can become adults. Rousseau demands respect for the natural order and respect for the child's freedom; because the purpose of education is to maximize the nature inherent in every human being [3]. The message he sends to all of us is to treat children as children and absolutely not impose on children according to the views or wishes of adults. Following the liberal spirit of his predecessors, Humboldt advocated academic freedom in the university with a profoundly liberal meaning. Humboldt's liberal outlook on personal development inspired Mill [4].
Since then, Mill has further developed the connotation of freedom. He believes that freedom is important to civilization and development, including freedom of thought, freedom of speech, experimenting with different life forms and opposing ideas to become better citizens and society [5]. Accordingly, education must carry out the task of developing the freedom of each person. While Humboldt called for institutions to uphold their autonomy and limit state intervention in higher education, Mill took a more positive view of state intervention. He argued that government could promote the development of individual freedom [5]. Education toward freedom was developed by Dewey in a different direction. The freedom that Dewey emphasized transcended contemporary thinkers and reached democracy in education. A democratic education will respect learners and focus on developing the ability of individuals to freely choose [6].
Second, education towards comprehensive human development. Education is the comprehensive development of all human endowments in a harmonious way to become whole, with its own particularity, and become a personality. Socrates called such an education knowing how to awaken the hidden knowledge within people. Aristotle gave thought to education in a comprehensive way both physically, mentally and intellectually; therefore, he recommended four subjects for education: literacy, physical education, music, and painting. Aristotle also offers a comprehensive and age-appropriate training program for young people, from raising children to raising them into adulthood. The educational system that Aristotle aimed for was a continuing and continuing education that was inclusive and lasting for a lifetime. Because according to him, to adulthood, people still need to continue to practice what they have learned and have to turn them into habits and mastery for themselves. Aristotle's holistic approach to education is very close to Locke's. He emphasized the development of a comprehensive human being both physically, mentally and morally through habit training for children. Locke added the principles of discipline and reward through exemplary education. This principle has become widespread in modern education.
Rousseau launched a comprehensive educational program to train the ideal citizen for society [7]. According to him, an ideal citizen must be a citizen with enough intellect,
morals and good physical strength to be able to understand the reason for living and be able to adapt to all circumstances; therefore, education must reach a harmonious combination of morality, reason and physical strength. Higher education must empower students to become active and responsible citizens of the future [8, p. 1]. At the turn of the nineteenth century, the ideal of education for the holistic development of the human being was associated with the German tradition of Bildung [9]. If we understand Bildung as the self-discipline to cultivate and train lateral abilities like Humboldt's concept, when people are fully developed, it will be the maximum condition for the spiritual development of people.
Third, education puts learners at the center of the teaching process. The learner-centered view was first introduced by Rousseau. In the context of being dominated by the old education, with the teacher being placed at the center, Rousseau's educational thought was born, which is likened to the Copernican revolution affirming that the sun is the center of the universe. Because he dared to put the child at the center of the educational process [10]. According to Rousseau, the essence of education is to make each individual feel happy and beneficial when receiving it. Thereby, it can promote children's creativity and positivity. The learner-centered approach was continued and deepened by Dewey. He sets out specific requirements for both teachers and learners to create freedom and achieve democracy in education. Adopting Dewey's progressive educational views, Humboldt believes that teaching is not about imparting book knowledge but about guiding students to discover new things. Therefore, it is necessary to change the traditional teaching method. According to him, in university, the style of teachers giving lectures and students listening passively is no longer appropriate; Since then, he has been the proponent of conducting seminars in university teaching. This is considered a turning point that changed the face of university teaching.
Fourth, education links theory with practice. Education must link theory with practice seems to be a requirement throughout the history of human educational thought development. Confucius said that the ultimate goal of learning, in general, is that learners must bring the talents and virtues they have learned to help the king and the country. Both Aristotle, Rousseau and Dewey focus on developing learners' practical competence. Dewey took a progressive education approach, emphasizing learning through practice; that is, learning must be associated with practice [11]. Similarly, Humboldt proposed the principle of building a higher education based on science, then proceeded to build a national culture and build a cultural state. It proves that he wants to use scientific theory to change reality and improve practice according to the good goals of life. Ho Chi Minh applied it creatively and developed it into a principle of unification between theory and practice. That is the basic principle for building educational methods. According to Ho Chi Minh, teaching and learning must link theoretical knowledge with real life, with the people's revolutionary struggle. Study and practice must always go together, closely linked [12]. The theoretical education method associated with practice and the learner-centered method will create a driving force for universities to fulfill their mission of finding and discovering the truth and nurturing each person's Bildung exactly in the spirit that Humboldt proposed.
_Materials and Methods
The object of the article's research is Humboldt's higher education philosophy, from which to draw its meaning for the building of autonomous education in Vietnam today. The article uses the method of dialectical materialism to research and solves problems. Humboldt's philosophy of higher education is exploited by the author in many ways: a liberal education, academic freedom, a combination of teaching and research, and a search for truth.
The article has skillfully applied the basic principles of materialist dialectics, including comprehensive principles, specific historical principles, development principles, practical principles and objective principles when considering issues. The specific historical perspective has been grasped when the author has placed the philosophy of higher education in the historical and social context in which it was born to consider and evaluate. The author has used a comprehensive perspective to analyze Humboldt's higher education philosophy from many different angles, providing a comprehensive view of his philosophical system. The raising of ideas about liberal education in history from ancient times to the present has shown that inheritance and development is an inevitable trend, creating an endless flow in the history of human thought. That proves that the article has applied the development principle in materialistic dialectic to present research problems.
The article also uses the methods of listing, analyzing, synthesizing, comparing and contrasting to present the contents of Humboldt's higher education philosophy. These methods were also used to clarify the systemic nature of liberal education philosophy from antiquity to the era in which Humboldt lived. In each different historical period, education is one of the issues that people are most concerned about, and it also gives many different views on education. This proves that education plays a particularly important role in social life. As a form of social consciousness, various educational philosophies throughout history have reflected the social existence that produced it; at the same time, it proves the process of movement and continuous development of society.
Although there are many differences in ideology due to the influence of different socio-historical conditions and different class positions, they all agree with the view that education liberates children and develops inner capacities to help people discover knowledge. Education is always towards liberation, and the condition for liberation is freedom. Through education, people are truly free. Thanks to the combination of methods of listing, analyzing, synthesizing, comparing and contrasting, the issues are presented logically, highlighting the inheritance and development in the history of human educational thought. The article has collected documents related to Humboldt's higher education philosophy to review, evaluate and draw meaning for the process of building autonomous education in Vietnam today.
Results
Humboldt gave the following operating principles to the University of Berlin: (i) Science is the truth that must always be sought. Taking solitude and freedom as the spirit and morality of the researcher. Science is the philosophy of life; (ii) Freedom of study and
freedom of teaching must be guaranteed and free from the influence of any religious or state influence; (iii) Unification between research and teaching, (iv) Science as unity through philosophy, on the basis of diversity; (v) Using science to build education, and through education, building a national culture, to a cultural state, (iv) The university should be autonomous, without interference from the government [13].
From the above principles, Humboldt's philosophy of higher education has emerged. According to him, the university must be the highest place to provide knowledge, and the product of the university must be truly free people. Therefore, the spirit of Humboldt University is the spirit of promoting scientific knowledge, the spirit of seeking and discovering the truth. The university is no longer a place to teach knowledge in a pure and dogmatic manner but also a place to apply scientific achievements, as well as the results of the industrial revolution. He proposed the mission of universities to combine teaching with scientific research. Humboldt also emphasized the autonomy of universities, freedom in learning and teaching, and non-intervention by the state in the activities of universities; because "academic freedom can be threatened not only by the state but also by institutions within the institution that tends to develop. The state must seek to prevent the harm that may arise from such institutions" [14].
Humboldt's philosophy of higher education embodies some of the following basic contents.
First, higher education is a liberal education. Humboldt's liberal education philosophy revolves around the word "Bildung." The concept of Bildung is preserved in German. Bildung does not equate to teaching or education but evokes a range of ideas that no single word can assemble [9]. Bildung is things that cannot be taught but can be Bildung-oriented so that everyone is supported to develop their own Bildung [15, p. 56]. Thanks to Bildung, people can think and act rationally and pursue the goal of self-improvement. Thereby, people can fully realize their own values and develop their available qualities and abilities [16]. From a term of theological origin (meaning creation), Bildung was elevated to the educational program by Humboldt. This has a liberating meaning because it is the turning point that brings education out of the old way of teaching and imparting knowledge. Education now completely means self-discipline, self-discipline to cultivate personality. Bildung is essentially a process of inner purification. Humboldt believes that people need lifelong learning efforts; Therefore, self-training and self-improvement "Bildung" is a never-ending process. Thus, he is the one who outlined the idea of building a lifelong learning society model, which has been realized in modern education today. That is the true meaning of liberal education.
Second, higher education upholds the spirit of academic freedom. To prevent state interference, Humboldt called for a spirit of academic freedom in the university. Supporting the view of freedom in education, Klaas Stek believes that "freedom is crucial for personal development" [17, p. 36].
Academic freedom in higher education that Humboldt talks about includes freedom in learning and freedom in teaching.
Freedom in learning. Humboldt believes in letting learners be free to control themselves and educating them on how to master themselves. He always demanded freedom for learners because they were free to choose how to grow up. To ensure that freedom, he focused on the inner temperament of people. Thanks to that temperament, it has constantly pushed people to develop their own personalities. Therefore, Humboldt's educational philosophy is
always directed toward the development of people's inner capacities. It is necessary to seize every opportunity to cultivate that capacity and then use it to develop other potentials. Only then can people develop freely.
Freedom in teaching. Humboldt argues that "Freedom to teach a teacher implies the freedom to study and teach what one believes in" [13, p. 78]. The teacher can only conquer the learner with the knowledge formed from his quality and research capacity, from the results of hard work and rigorous testing, rather than easy acceptance.
University autonomy. It is the right to settle internal affairs without state intervention in higher education. He demanded that the state treat universities unlike other schools, high schools or other professional schools. According to Humboldt, the state should not demand from universities what is directly related to the state but should only create the belief that once its ends are achieved, universities also satisfy the goals of the state. Therefore, Humboldt criticizes that the state and society have constrained individuals to the orientations and purposes of that state. The state only needs to ensure security and actively support without interfering too deeply in education work. Thus, Humboldt has put the university in its rightful place. The university becomes the third force after the state and the church; have autonomy (including personnel management, financial management, and training scale). This is quite a bold idea in the context of the Prussian state being extremely autocratic and only wanting to abuse education to train loyal and obedient subjects.
Third, Higher Education combines teaching and scientific research. Humboldt believes that universities have the main function of research and knowledge training. Since then, the common mission of all universities in the future has been to combine two inseparable tasks: teaching and scientific research [18]. According to Humboldt's principle, the legitimacy of university lecturers is measured by their participation in research rather than simply possessing degrees and performing teaching [18]. Humboldt's dedication is to outline a common trajectory, orienting activities for all universities. The university system in the world today is the continuation of the spirit of Berlin university.
According to Humboldt, the unity between research and teaching in universities is reflected in this: teachers must lecture and impart knowledge based on the results of their research. Macfarlane and Martin G. Erikson assert that it is through action research that university faculty members are able to meet the expectations set for them and also fulfill the purposes of higher education [18]. Teaching and research are the right of university faculty. Accordingly, students have the right to be taught by qualified professors [18]. It can be understood that scientific research becomes a condition for lecturers to enter the classroom and carry out teaching work. If teaching and research are separated, it is difficult to find a good university lecturer but just a teacher [19]. Stout's assertion shows that the difference in nature between university lecturers and teachers is engaged in scientific research.
Fourth, higher education is a process of self-seeking truth.
In Humboldt's philosophy of higher education, science becomes the intrinsic engine of research activities; Therefore, university disciplines must seek the truth. A university is a place for free scientific work [16]. The nature of the university is no longer about possessing knowledge but having to reach the pinnacle of scientific knowledge, creating knowledge and spreading knowledge. Accordingly, the task of the researcher is not to hold more knowledge than others but to pass on his knowledge to the next generations. According
to Humboldt, The University of Berlin is a university of reason and enlightenment in the spirit of Immanuel Kant mixed with the spirit of humanity. It is a university of science of research, a combination of teaching and research, whose ultimate goal is to seek the truth without state interference. It is aimed at comprehensive human development; scientific development is something that must always be sought [13, p. 12].
In the university, Humboldt emphasized the role of science. "in terms of the organizational spirit of highly scientific institutions, all are based on respect for the principle of seeing science as something that has not been completely found, and must constantly seek it as science." [13, p. 76] The process of searching for scientific knowledge is endless because this world is vast, containing countless things that people do not know. If people stop searching for scientific knowledge or think that science does not need to be created from the depths of the spirit, they will lose an irreparable wing. Therefore, the goal of the university is an interest in academia and science and the desire to conquer the pinnacle of knowledge. Higher education must be based on research at various levels and modern developments, thereby fostering innovation and creativity [8, p. 4].
The idea of higher education is the process of searching and discovering the truth, which is considered to represent the spirit of the University of Berlin. Therefore, Humboldt suggested holding seminars (workshops) to create the possibility of debate. In the search for scientific truth, teachers and students become united. "A university instructor is no longer a teacher, and a student is no longer a student, but a researcher and the professor guides his research and supports him." [13, p. 80]
Discussion and results
From the research results, it is shown that Humboldt is the one who came up with the idea of the "modern research university" [20]. The fundamental principles of Humboldt's university, such as science and truth is what must always be pursued on a regular and continuous basis; Universities should ensure freedom of teaching and freedom of learning (academic freedom); Universities need to realize the unity of research and teaching, science based on diversity and become a unity through philosophy. He wanted to build a science-based university education, then proceed to build a national culture and build a cultural state. Humboldt believes that a good teacher must first be a good researcher.
Humboldt's philosophy of higher education has led German universities to quickly assert their prestige and position. In Germany, Humboldt inspired Goethe, Schelling and even Hegel [21]. He laid the foundation for the birth and development of the research university model in the industrial age and spread around the world. The principles that he gave to Humboldt University have been realized and become common in all universities in the world today. The Humboldtian model requires that universities be autonomous, academically free, and integrate teaching and research. As a result, science is unified, and all academic disciplines are present in a given university [22].
This model creates wide interaction for all members of the university, especially students and researchers. However, Humboldt's philosophy of higher education also has certain limitations; there are many problems of higher education that have not been mentioned by him. He called for autonomous education, but the state's investment capital is still quite large
in universities. Humboldt called for the university to move back to privatization, the most important issue is tuition fees, but he has not yet mentioned it. Currently, in the context of globalization and international integration, market competition takes place everywhere, and the ideal university as a place to seek and protect the truth must face many new problems to avoid bad influences. In addition, the quintessential spirit in the Humboldt model has encountered massization and marketization, which tends to follow targets and neglect quality. That proves the problems that Humboldt had not foreseen the developments of reality.
The article also agrees with Newman's point of view. He argued that "the purpose of the university is education and not a simple transfer of knowledge. The mission of the university is to protect and transmit the spiritual wealth of society. The university should train intellectual gentlemen" [23]. Those are the quintessence that universities need to promote in Humboldt's spirit. That contrasts with Locke's pragmatic education. Locke said that only disciplines in university programs that would correspond to the "principle of utility," that is, provide specific knowledge useful for practical application [24]. When falling into the common pragmatism, education will lose its inherent nature of transmitting, nurturing and reaching the quintessential values, the pinnacle of science. In all ages, education has always been viewed as an activity that leads to productive and constructive change [25].
The author agrees with Jesper Sjostrom and Ingo Eilks' view that Bildung is more about acquiring competencies and skills than a collection of facts and theories to be learned [15, p. 56]. Or a more convincing alternative, such as Bildung, is seen as a potential activation process rather than a learning process [26]. That is the inheritance of the German spirit of Bildung that Humboldt has introduced, considering Bildung as the cultivation and training of the inner qualities and capacities of people. Thus, Bildung is what needs to be practiced throughout life. That is why the task of higher education is to both teach and research, especially to seek, explain and prove the truth. Only then can learners practice their Bildung.
Research shows that Humboldt is the founder of a liberal higher education philosophy based on academic freedom and the development of each person's bildung. It is an educational ideal based on human subject self-determination and cultural and intellectual autonomy [9]. Humboldt's liberal views on education continue to receive the support of many researchers. Klaas Stek believes that personal freedom is a prerequisite for personal development [17, p. 48]. Humboldt's modern educational philosophy continues to be supplemented and developed with many new issues in the current era of digital transformation and industrial revolution 4.0. In order for Bildung to continue to be developed, the article completely agrees with the view that it is necessary to switch to a learner-centered method to stimulate the motivation of learners' thinking and participation [8]. The article also agrees with the idea that "soft skills are crucial" [27]. However, this article disagrees with the view that soft skills are more important than technical skills. Stek and Schiele's point of view is more convincing when asserting that soft skills are a necessary condition for the implementation of hard skills, which means that the lack of soft skills will make it difficult to implement hard skills [28]. Research results show that, although modern higher education is increasingly expanding to more and more problems, the German concept of Bildung, according to Humboldt's university spirit, is still relevant in today's education [1].
The objective of the study is to create a basis for Vietnam to build and develop an autonomous higher education in the context of globalization and international integration.
At the same time, the study also shows that liberal arts higher education is both the driving force and the goal of education reform toward comprehensive human development in Vietnam today. Due to the heavy influence of difficult economic conditions, many university lecturers have not yet been able to properly represent the face and initiative of intellectuals. Humboldt's research on the philosophy of higher education has suggestive implications for building autonomous education in Vietnam today.
Facing the trend of globalization, the development of the knowledge economy, information and communication technology, as well as many other universities in the world, universities in Vietnam, are facing problems such as the rapid increase in the number of universities, many prestigious universities gradually become public universities, the increase in scale creates great pressure, financial pressure, on the supply of human resources of the knowledge economy. In that context, higher education in Vietnam must adapt and find a way to respond in a timely manner. This requires higher education in Vietnam to have flexibility and flexibility. That is closely related to the academic freedom and autonomy of higher education. Accordingly, university governance in the spirit of autonomy and social responsibility (accountability) is an indispensable and objective requirement.
More autonomy should be given to schools; This means that schools can exploit their own financial resources from tuition fees, fees, technology transfer, and training cooperation. Undergraduate courses can be freely research-oriented or application-oriented. However, in the implementation process, it is necessary to pay attention to the basic values and the core goals of development. It is the quality objective that must be ensured and appropriate corresponding to the types and levels of training. Therefore, despite being given autonomy in training, personnel organization, and finance, the essential function of higher education is still: (i) Meeting the needs and desires of each individual to acquire knowledge, let them exploit themselves and contribute to society; (ii) Provide society with a professional workforce, necessary for the growth and prosperity of an economy; (iii) Civilizing society, guiding public opinion, giving comments on the state's policies; (iv) Collecting and creating knowledge through research and transferring it to society [29, p. 47]. Therefore, it can be understood that autonomy does not mean abandonment; the state must commit and fulfill its commitment to invest and mobilize resources and social forces for the development of higher education. To build an autonomous education in Vietnam today in the spirit of Humboldt University, it is necessary to synchronously implement the following solutions.
First, strictly implement the policy of the Party and regulations of the State on the issue of university autonomy. Empowering university autonomy must ensure that the goal is to improve the quality and efficiency of higher education activities; Therefore, when adjusting and supplementing regulations, it is necessary to base them on the university's standards and operating criteria. At the same time, early adopt university autonomy according to international standards: enrollment, teaching process, degree-granting, admission management, and finance. The Ministry of Education and Training with the role of regulating macro activities and international cooperation in order to create conditions and legal framework for universities to conduct research and teaching; at the same time support in terms of infrastructure, supervise educational activities on the basis of the education law to ensure the balanced development of society.
Second, in order to fulfill the role of autonomy when issuing management decisions, it is necessary to attach importance to the role of the academic community, with the participation of lecturers, administrators and stakeholders. At the same time, university governance must also innovate towards autonomy; Accordingly, the University Council needs to confirm the correct role and function in accordance with the law.
Third, Create an environment of academic freedom, freedom of teaching, promotion of research activities and international cooperation. Building an academic scientific community. Academic freedom will open a new playing field for research in diverse fields, attracting investment to create many Research Support Funds. The state needs to have strict legal corridors to avoid those who take advantage of the slogan of academic freedom to disrupt national unity and national security.
Fourth, create an environment to attract talents, including overseas Vietnamese scholars and foreigners, to work and study in Vietnam. To do that, the Party and State need to have the plan to build research support funds and streamline administrative procedures. This has not only created a network of links between domestic and international researchers but also contributed to limiting the situation of "brain drain" in Vietnam in recent years.
Conclusion
Humboldt's contributions to the history of the development of educational thought are to have created a liberal philosophy of modern higher education. Humboldt's philosophy of higher education is the inheritance of the ancient tradition of promoting freedom and the human desire to discover knowledge. The movement and development of the history of human thought, including educational thought, is ultimately a reflection of changes in social life. Accordingly, Humboldt's higher education philosophy reflects the inevitable operating trend of universities on the path of integration, development and affirmation of their own values. The university is always a place to germinate knowledge and carry out the mission of searching for and discovering the truth. Therefore, the university performs both the teaching function and the research function. When there is a unity between teaching and research, the university will truly become a place for academic freedom, training and cultivation of each person's Bildung, meeting the lifelong learning needs of society. Thereby, Humboldt's philosophy of higher education pointed out the difference in nature between higher education and secondary education.
In the context of globalization, the knowledge economy is developing strongly; a university is an ideal place to strive for truth and also a place to preserve and encourage the development of many human values in the face of danger. Therefore, the spirit of Humboldt university always shines and carries an evocative meaning for higher education in many different countries around the world. For Vietnam, building an autonomous education is an indispensable requirement in line with the context of international integration, meeting the requirements of the knowledge economy and university governance. With that in mind, Humboldt's higher education philosophy is of great reference value for Vietnam to come up with solutions to build an autonomous education in accordance with the historical, social and cultural conditions.
_Funding
This research is fully funded by Van Lang University, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam.
REFERENCES_
1. Kryanev, Y.V., T.P. Pavlova, and D.A. Kvon (2021). Phenomenon of Education: Philosophical and Methodological Aspects of Research. Amazonia Investiga, 102(39), p. 102-116. DOI: 10.34069/AI/2021.39.03.10
2. Rousseau, J.J. (2008). Emile or about education. Ha Noi: Knowledge Publishing House.
3. Burch, R.A. (2017). On Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Ideal of Natural Education. Dialogue and Universalism, 27(1), p. 189-198. DOI: 10.5840/du201727117.
4. Lachs, J. (1992). Mill and Constant: A Neglected Connection in the History of the Idea of Liberty. History of Philosophy Quarterly, 9(1), p. 87-96. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27744005.
5. De Hert, P., A. Kinneging, and M. Colette, eds. (2015). Benjamin Constant. Ontdekker van de moderne vrijheid. Kalmthout: Pelckmans. Retrieved from https://research.tilburguniversity.edu/en/publications/benjamin-constant-ontdekker-van-de-moderne-vrijheid.
6. Do, T. (2022). Progressive Education: Views from John Dewey's Education Philosophy. WISDOM, 4(3), p. 22-31. DOI: 10.24234/wisdom.v4i3.907.
7. Werler, T.C. and D. Baraldsnes (2019). Comparing conceptual text and documenting photos. Researching Outdoor Education in the Context of Reichwein's Progressive Teaching and Rousseau's Émile. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 42(4), p. 358-373. DOI: 10.1080/1743727X.2018.1481939.
8. Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Declaration. The Bologna process 2020: The European higher education area in the new decade. in Communique of the Conference of European Ministers Responsible for Higher Education. 2009. Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve:
9. Alves, A. (2019). The German Tradition of Self-Cultivation (Bildung) and its Historical Meaning. Educacao and Realidade, 44(2), p. e83003. DOI: 10.1590/2175-623683003.
10. Gomes, B. (2015). Emile the citizen? A reassessment of the relationship between private education and citizenship in Rousseau's political thought. European Journal of Political Theory, 17(2), p. 194-213. DOI: 10.1177/1474885115589587.
11. Dewey, J. (2004). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. Delhi: Aakar Books.
Retrieved from https://repository.bbg.ac.id/bitstream/612/1/Democracy_and_Education_An_Introduction_to_
the_Philosophy_of_Education.pdf.
12. Vu, T.T.D., et al. (2021). Effects of western culture and ho chi minh ideology on vietnam education. Ilkogretim Online - Elementary Education Online, 20(4), p. 612-616. DOI: 10.17051/ilkonline.2021.04.67.
13. Ngo, B.C., et al. (2010). Humboldt University 200 years (1810-2010): World and Vietnam experiences. Hanoi: Knowledge Publishing House.
14. University Reform in Germany(1970). Minerva, 8(2), p. 242-267. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/ stable/41822022.
15. Sjöström, J. and I. Eilks (2020). The Bildung Theory—From von Humboldt to Klafki and Beyond. In Science Education in Theory and Practice: An Introductory Guide to Learning Theory. B. Akpan and T.J. Kennedy, Editors, Cham: Springer International Publishing, p. 55-67. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-43620-9_5.
16. Sorkin, D. (1983). Wilhelm Von Humboldt: The Theory and Practice of Self-Formation (Bildung), 1791-1810. Journal of the History of Ideas, 44(1), p. 55-73. DOI: 10.2307/2709304.
17. Stek, K. (2022). Personality Development in Higher Education in the Era of Industry 4.0: Comparing Educational Practices and Philosophies in Industry 1.0 and Industry 4.0. In Smart Industry - Better Management. T. Bondarouk and M.R. Olivas-Luján, Editors Emerald Publishing Limited, p. 35-50. DOI: 10.1108/S1877-636120220000028005.
18. Macfarlane, B. and M.G. Erikson (2021). The right to teach at university: a Humboldtian perspective. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 53(11), p. 1136-1147. DOI: 10.1080/00131857.2020.1783245.
19. Stout, A.K. (1965). On university appointments: Thoughts after Knopfelmacher. Minerva, 4(4), p. 55-72. DOI: 10.1007/BF01585984.
20. Demeterio III, F.P.A. and R.T.D. Pada (2019). A Humboldtian Critique of the University of the Philippines as the Flagship of Philippine Higher Education (Part II). KRITIKE, 31(June 2019), p. 48-77. Retrieved from https://www. kritike.org/journal/issue_24/demeterio&pada_june2019.pdf.
21. Nassar, D. (2023). Alexander von Humboldt. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://plato. stanford.edu/entries/alexander-humboldt/.
22. Bongaerts, J.C. (2022). The Humboldtian Model of Higher Education and its Significance for the European University on Responsible Consumption and Production. BHM Berg- und Hüttenmännische Monatshefte, 167(10), p. 500-507. DOI: 10.1007/s00501-022-01280-w.
23. Newman, J.H. (1996). The Idea of a University. New Haven: Yale University Press. Retrieved from https://yalebooks. yale.edu/book/9780300064056/the-idea-of-a-university/.
24. Locke, W.J. (2001). Favorites. Moscow, Publishing House of Shalva Amonashvili.
25. Kallová, N. (2021). Happiness as an aim of education. Human Affairs, 31(2), p. 165-174. DOI: 10.1515/ humaff-2021-0014.
26. Westbury, I., S. Hopmann, and K. Riquarts (2015). Teaching As A Reflective Practice: The German Didaktik Tradition. Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.routledge.com/Teaching-As-A-Reflective-Practice-The-German-Didaktik-Tradition/Westbury-Hopmann-Riquarts/p/book/9781138983670.
27. Laker, D.R. and J.L. Powell (2011). The differences between hard and soft skills and their relative impact on training transfer. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 22(1), p. 111-122. DOI: 10.1002/hrdq.20063.
28. Stek, K. and H. Schiele (2021). How to train supply managers - Necessary and sufficient purchasing skills leading to success. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 27(4), p. 100700. DOI: 10.1016/j.pursup.2021.100700.
29. Lam, Q.T., D.B. Johnstone, and P. G.Albach (2007). American Higher Education. Hanoi: Education Publishing House.
Information about the authors
Trang Do
(Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh) Lecturer, Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Fundamental Sciences Van Lang University E-mail: trang.do@vlu.edu.vn ORCID ID: 0000-0002-4871-1368 ResearcherID: GVU-8368-2022
