In Ho Chi Minh City, in recent years, many public primary schools have implemented programs such as enhanced English and integrated English, with many lessons and educational activities in English.
REINFORCE SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN ENGLISH
In the 2024-2025 school year, during the "Open House - Open Classroom" activity at grade 3 of Hoa Binh Primary School, Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, we attended a math lesson in English (a branch of the experimental math - science English program with foreign teachers). Mr. Dewald and Ms. Phuong Thi - the school's English teachers, taught students about multiplication. In the 2nd grade, Mr. Jeremiah Ruppe and Mr. Hung Son - the school's English teachers, taught about shapes. Outside the schoolyard, students participated in learning English through experimental science activities. After listening to instructions from foreign teachers, the students practiced volcanic eruption experiments using baking soda, dishwashing liquid, etc.
Students in educational activities playing math and science in English at Tran Khanh Du Primary School, Tan Dinh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
PHOTO: THUY HANG
On August 19, during the back-to-school activities to welcome first graders at Tran Khanh Du Primary School, Tan Dinh Ward, students had a station to play English, chat with foreign teachers, answer quizzes...
Ms. Le Thi Thu Hang, the school's principal, said that organizing the teaching and learning of some subjects such as math and science in English currently has many advantages. Firstly, this is the policy of the Government, the Ministry of Education and Training, and the Department of Education and Training. Next is the support of parents. According to Ms. Hang, facilities and teaching staff are other important factors to effectively and sustainably implement this teaching and learning organization.
At Tran Khanh Du Primary School, math and science classes in English have two teachers, a foreign teacher from the foreign language center and a regular English teacher of the school as a teaching assistant. Every two weeks, teachers from the foreign language center have to have a professional meeting with the school.
At the same time, Ms. Hang also said that the school's responsibility is to carefully check the legal documents of teaching units. Foreign teachers must meet professional qualifications such as university degrees and appropriate English teaching certificates. Foreign teachers' profiles must be assessed by the Department of Education and Training and updated on the website.
SOLVING THE TEACHER PROBLEM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
As Thanh Nien reported, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training has a roadmap to gradually make English the second language in high schools in Ho Chi Minh City in 2 phases. Of which, the 2025-2026 school year is phase 1: preparation and piloting. From 2027-2030 is phase 2: large-scale deployment, evaluation, and putting digital classrooms into operation according to plan.
Mr. Le Hoang Phong, Academic Director of YOUREORG Education and Training Organization, believes that in the roadmap to make English the second language in schools in Vietnam, from primary school level, students should learn subjects and educational activities in English, which is necessary. However, to do this well, two things need to be implemented in parallel. First is to standardize and retrain the core teaching staff in each primary school. For example, core English teachers need to be trained and coached to have enough expertise to teach subjects such as math and science. In addition, teachers of many subjects in primary schools also need good English to teach students. Second, while waiting for on-site training and development, it is necessary to select and attract human resources, invite guest lecturers and excellent students to participate in teaching...
"I strongly support teaching basic science and technology subjects, and gradually expanding to social subjects in English, as many schools in Ho Chi Minh City are implementing. When students solve math problems, do experiments, or give presentations in English, the language will become a thinking tool, not just grammar or reading," said Mr. Phong.
Students in the English - experimental science program at Hoa Binh Primary School, Saigon Ward
PHOTO: THUY HANG
Sharing the same view with Mr. Phong, an education management officer in Ho Chi Minh City said that from the experience of many Asian countries, if we want to organize teaching and learning of some subjects in English effectively, we cannot only rely on partners to bring teachers into schools. The most sustainable way is to review and improve the quality of teachers in each school, train, educate, and improve teacher standards, and at the same time, we need policies and remuneration mechanisms so that the regular staff in the school can gradually be in charge of teaching some subjects in English. This helps reduce costs for learners, while encouraging talent and creating motivation for the team to strive...
Besides, in the initial stage, when there is still a shortage of teachers, we can still invite teachers to cooperate and give lectures. At the same time, there needs to be a unified national foreign language competency framework, compatible with the European CEFR standards, but adjusted to the Vietnamese context. Each level of education must have specific output standards and transparent assessment tools.
Master Vinh San, Director of Communications at DOL English, believes that each educational model and solution has its pros and cons. It will not be easy to find a common answer for different problems, subjects, conditions and learning circumstances. Regarding the solution to teaching and learning some subjects in English from primary school, Mr. Vinh San believes in Vietnamese intelligence, Vietnamese people, and the team of Vietnamese teachers who can solve the problem of teaching and learning foreign languages. At the same time, according to him, the application of science and technology and free online learning platforms are helping students learn English better...
10 years of Ho Chi Minh City implementing the integrated English program
In 2014, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee issued Decision No. 5695 approving the Project "Teaching and learning math, science and English integrating English and Vietnamese programs" (integrated English program) at public schools in Ho Chi Minh City.
The program integrates the UK national curriculum with the national standards of the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training for English, mathematics, and science. At the conference summarizing 10 years of implementing Project 5695 in November 2024, the report said that the integrated English program was implemented from the 2014-2015 school year in 18 schools in Ho Chi Minh City with 600 students participating. By the 2024-2025 school year, there will be over 160 schools with more than 30,000 students participating.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hoc-sinh-truong-cong-hoc-toan-khoa-hoc-bang-tieng-anh-185250901194543802.htm
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