To make English truly a second language in schools

Photo caption — Delegates participating in the discussion session on the role of English in the era of development. Photo: LV

On the afternoon of November 6, Thanh Nien Newspaper in collaboration with SunUni Academy held a ceremony to announce the launch of the "S80 International Education Scholarship" program. This is a series of English scholarships inspired by the milestone of 80 years of National Day and 80 years of Vietnam's education sector for students, university students, and working people.

Within the framework of the program, a discussion session on "The role of English in the era of development" took place. Here, Ms. Nguyen Thuy Hong - former Deputy Director of the Department of Teachers, Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) said that the policy in Resolution 71 of the Politburo, gradually making English the second language in schools is a correct direction in the context of comprehensive educational innovation and international integration. The Resolution has pointed out strong innovations in teaching and learning methods as well as in the entire educational ecosystem supporting English learning.

Ms. Nguyen Thuy Hong believes that this is both a new opportunity and a big challenge for all foreign language training units. Because the shift from teaching English as a foreign language to teaching as a second language is a clear difference, creating opportunities for teachers and learners to develop more creative forms. Therefore, it is necessary to change the program, content, learning materials, as well as teaching methods and forms as a premise for implementing the program. In addition, the teaching and learning process is also related to changing goals, improving the quality of teaching and learning.

In the context that the Ministry of Education and Training is implementing the Project "Making English the second language in schools for the period 2025 - 2035, with a vision to 2045", the S80 scholarship is expected to be an important socialized resource, contributing to realizing this national goal.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Nam, Chairman of SunUni Global Group shared: "We are deeply aware that our responsibility is very great. When establishing the S80 scholarship, we aspire not only to have ourselves, but also to have more partners - Vietnamese people who share the same passion for education, to join hands to bring English closer to students, university students and working people in Vietnam."

The S80 program is expected to award a total of 8,000 scholarships (full and partial, including partial scholarships of up to 70%), applicable to programs from foundation to IELTS 7.5 target, suitable for many different levels of ability of students.

S80 International Education Scholarship seeks candidates with academic ability, learning spirit, discipline - perseverance, ability to contribute to the community and leadership potential; priority is given to candidates with difficult circumstances but know how to overcome. Profiles must be honest, with clear evidence; respect copyright when using documents, photos, videos. Personal data is managed according to data protection regulations; only used for selection and communication purposes with consent.

Dr. Natalie Sasha Goodwin - Director of the Center for Academic Development, British University Vietnam (BUV) believes that the biggest challenges we are facing come from the strong transformation of knowledge. With the emergence of artificial intelligence, the way knowledge is created, received and used is changing every day. That requires each learner not only to acquire knowledge, but also to know how to adapt. He believes that the most important ability to overcome that change is perseverance - the persistence in pursuing goals, even when learning methods, learning tools or learning environments are constantly changing.

According to Dr. Goodwin, the young generation of Vietnam is more proactive, more open and more willing to learn than ever before. However, in the era of artificial intelligence, knowledge alone is not enough, we need more, the ability to debate to understand deeply and ask the right questions, communication skills to connect, cooperate and spread values in the global environment. In education, this is demonstrated through teaching not only imparting knowledge, but also creativity and inspiration.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/giao-duc/de-tieng-anh-thuc-su-tro-thanh-ngon-ngu-thu-hai-trong-nha-truong-20251106202927090.htm