The Vietnam National University in Hanoi sparked outrage over its height requirement for students hoping to enrol in a particular course.
The university’s School of Management and Business (HSB) said that female students must be at least 1.58m tall and male students must be at least 1.65m tall to be considered for admission in 2024.
According to DW, the announcement was first reported by Vietnamese online site Tuoi Tre.
Netizens have since engaged in heated debates on whether this was fair.
As a result of the outrage, Vietnam’s Ministry of Education asked the university to review its requirements on 6 June.
HSB then removed the height requirement from three of its four undergraduate programmes.
According to Vietnamese news site Thanh Nien, these programmes are:
However, the height requirement is still in place for the school’s Management and Security course.
HSB justified the requirements by saying that they are aiming to train leaders and managers to excel in their field. As such, height plays a key role in leadership and self-confidence, they said.
In an interview with DW, Andrea Abele-Brehm — a social psychologist at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany — expressed concerns over the height requirements.
When asked if height played a significant role in leadership, Abele-Brehm said although there is a connection, “it is relatively small and ambiguous.”
According to Vietnam’s National Institute of Nutrition, from 2019-2020, the average height in the country is 1.56m for women and 1.68m for men.
Studies have shown that taller people enjoy an economic advantage, however there is no evidence indicating that height leads to skill.
In response to the university seemingly perpetuating the stereotype, Abele-Brehm said, “You have to tackle such stereotypes, as otherwise the institution will only reinforce them.”
Also read: K-pop star G-Dragon takes on visiting professor role at university in South Korea
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Featured image adapted from Hanoi School of Business and Management and Thanh Nien.
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