Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport: those with IELTS will be exempted from studying English at the corresponding level

Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport has adjusted its regulations regarding the exemption of English language courses for students who already have an IELTS certificate.

The leadership of Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport has just announced that students who have submitted IELTS certificates will be exempted from the corresponding English proficiency levels - Photo: IEC

Following widespread outrage from parents and students at Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport regarding the requirement for students with international language certificates like IELTS to still take English exams and pay for English courses, the university has adjusted this regulation.

No English UTH certificate

On the afternoon of December 11th, in an interview with Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Vice Rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport, stated: "With a proactive approach, after receiving information from Tuoi Tre newspaper, the university's Scientific and Training Council recently met and unanimously agreed to adjust the regulations regarding English course exemptions. Students with an IELTS certificate will be exempted accordingly based on their English proficiency."

At the same time, Mr. Tuan affirmed that the English UTH certificate system of Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport does not include this certificate.

The school offers a full-time Bachelor of English Language program, which has been accredited by the Ministry of Education and Training and authorized to enroll students since 2022.

"The supplementary English program for students in non-English language majors is built on a foundation of a standardized English training system that has been reviewed, evaluated, and approved by the university's Scientific and Training Council (comprising experts, scientists, and businesses in the transportation sector) to suit the target learners," Mr. Tuan added.

"Many students are studying online because the school is renovating and upgrading its lecture halls."

Regarding students' feedback that English classes at UTH are mainly online and focus primarily on grammar, Mr. Tuan explained that the school has recently been implementing a plan to repair facilities (upgrading lecture halls, flood prevention, etc.) to ensure student safety, resulting in only 1/3 of the classrooms being operational.

Therefore, from July 2024 to November 11, 2024, the school will temporarily implement a hybrid online and in-person learning format.

On the other hand, with its strong infrastructure and partnerships with Google and Microsoft, along with a team of excellent faculty, the school is boldly embracing change in the digital age.

The school ensures that the ratio of online to in-person learning complies with regulations, bringing balance and effectiveness to the learning process.

Since November 11th, the newly upgraded lecture hall system has been in use at over 80% capacity, so all classes are now being conducted in person.

"Upon enrollment, students will be assessed for their foreign language proficiency to determine their placement in the appropriate level, and then assigned to classes according to their abilities. The learning levels are designed from basic to advanced, obviously including basic grammar."

"Students in the 2023 cohort have been assessed and classified into different skill levels, so some groups will have to start learning from the most basic level. Therefore, the information they provided does not accurately reflect the situation," Mr. Tuan said.

Students who have submitted their IELTS certificate will be exempt from the corresponding English proficiency levels.

Responding to the question of whether the school has surveyed the number of students with international foreign language certificates to date, and whether the school had previously announced that students should submit foreign language certificates, Mr. Tuan stated that the school's admissions plan clearly states that students are eligible for direct admission if they have an English certificate such as IELTS 6.0, TOEFL iBT 60, TOEFL ITP 530, or TOEIC 600, level 4 according to the Vietnamese foreign language proficiency framework.

Therefore, students who submitted their certificates at that time will be exempt from the corresponding English language levels. The number of students admitted directly through the English language method is 161.

"However, students who already have a foreign language certificate, for sensitive reasons, can send it through reporters from newspapers and media outlets – the official and important communication channel – and the school will coordinate to provide the best support for the learners."

The school does not have a policy regarding the rejection of international English certificates. Before starting any level of English courses at the school, students must submit an international certificate for the school's Academic and Training Council to consider exempting them from the corresponding English level.

"The school's training regulations also include provisions on this matter," Mr. Tuan added.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dai-hoc-giao-thong-van-tai-tp-hcm-co-ielts-se-duoc-mien-hoc-tieng-anh-cap-do-tuong-ung-20241211175807313.htm