It is necessary to teach English intensively to students.

Many schools in Dong Nai have implemented intensive English teaching for students, thereby helping them become more confident and active. However, making English the second language in schools, as a basis for creating a generation of global citizens, is still very difficult.

Teachers from Astra Foreign Language Center Bien Hoa organize English lessons for students of Phuoc Tan 3 Secondary School (Phuoc Tan Ward). Photo: Cong Nghia

Principal of Tran Bien High School (Tam Hiep Ward) Pham Thi Thanh Ha shared: “For many years now, in addition to regular English classes in the morning, according to the general education program, the school has persistently coordinated with an English center to send foreign teachers to teach and improve English listening, speaking, reading and writing skills for students in need. Thanks to that, the English level of the school's students is quite good, especially many students have achieved the IELTS international English certificate before taking the high school graduation exam and are exempted from the English exam.”

Help students gain confidence in English

As a student passionate about learning English, Nguyen Thu Thuy, a student at Tran Bien High School, shared: The number of regular English classes per week is currently small, so teachers can only focus on teaching relatively basic knowledge and skills. If you want to improve and have good skills in this subject, especially listening and speaking skills, the best solution is to practice more at a foreign language center. The school's coordination to open an additional class right in the school is quite suitable, because the center arranges the classes with an appropriate number of 20 students/class, with foreign teachers directly teaching the class, so it is more effective.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thu Trang, a student at Tran Bien High School, shared: I am striving for the goal of achieving an international English certificate IELTS 6.5 by the end of the upcoming 12th grade. Fortunately, I have combined well the main English program and the intensive program at school, so I do not need to take extra classes at an outside center with high costs.

Trang added: “A month of studying English at a foreign language center costs about 1.5 million VND, while studying intensive English with foreign teachers at school 8 sessions/month only costs 600,000 VND. Thus, studying English will not put too much pressure on parents regarding tuition fees.”

According to the Board of Directors of Long Binh Secondary School (Long Binh Ward), the English skills of the 6th graders entering the school are still limited, but after 1-2 years of study, most of them have improved a lot. In particular, in recent years, many 9th graders of the school have passed the entrance exam to the 10th grade English major of Luong The Vinh High School. In addition, many students have passed the entrance exam to other public high schools thanks to their high English scores.

Explaining this, some English teachers at the school said: Partly because the students are taught additional English skills, because the school coordinates with an outside language center to send foreign teachers to teach.

Ms. Vu Thi Thu Huong, whose child studies at Nguyen An Ninh Primary School (Tam Hiep Ward), shared: “In the past, I did not have the conditions to learn English, but I pay a lot of attention to this with my children, because English is becoming more and more popular and is an indispensable tool for children to integrate in the future. At school, in addition to regular classes, I also registered my child to study intensive English with foreign teachers. Compared to tuition fees at foreign language centers, which average about 1-1.2 million VND/month, studying intensive English at school is only 300,000 VND/month. Such a cost level is also suitable for my family's conditions, and at the same time, it still basically achieves the desired results.”

Need for real effectiveness

From Conclusion No. 91-KL/TW dated August 12, 2024 of the Politburo on continuing to implement Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW dated November 4, 2013 of the 11th Party Central Committee "On fundamental and comprehensive innovation of education and training, meeting the requirements of industrialization and modernization in the context of a socialist-oriented market economy and international integration", to Resolution 71-NQ/TW dated August 22, 2025 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in education and training development, all emphasized the need to strengthen foreign language teaching and learning, especially gradually making English the second language in schools. English is the door for the young generation of Vietnam to confidently step out into the world, and at the same time welcome the quintessence of the world to Vietnam.

Seeing the great opportunities from the increasingly deep international integration process, especially Dong Nai is identified as an important growth pole of the country, for many years, the province has directed the education and training sector and educational institutions to enhance the quality of teaching and learning English in general schools. In early 2023, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 721/QD-UBND on approving the Project to Strengthen English Teaching in General Schools in Dong Nai Province from the 2022-2023 school year. According to this project, in addition to the main English program in the general education program of the Ministry of Education and Training , students can study additional English lessons with Vietnamese and foreign teachers.

In fact, to date, teaching English in schools is still very difficult, because to implement it requires social resources from parents' contributions. The principal of a secondary school in Trang Bom commune said: "At the beginning of each school year, the school propagates to parents the need to improve students' English skills. In the condition that the budget cannot cover all educational activities, it needs contributions from parents, but not many parents respond. There are English centers that come to set conditions for coordination in implementation, but because the number of participating students is too small, there are not enough to open classes."

Director of Foreign Business of VMG Vietnam-USA English Center Nguyen Thu Thuy (Tran Bien Ward) said: When merging the two old provinces of Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai into the new Dong Nai province, the center opened a branch in Dong Xoai Ward. The important goal is to be able to coordinate with schools here to bring foreign teachers to teach English skills to students. However, it has been nearly 2 months of contacting schools but has not achieved the desired results. The reason is that schools in the old Binh Phuoc province have not previously had a model of cooperation with foreign language centers to bring foreign teachers to teach English. The schools all expressed their desire to receive guidance from the Department of Education and Training to soon implement, contributing to improving English skills for students.

Justice

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202509/can-thiet-day-tieng-anh-tang-cuong-cho-hoc-sinh-c080093/