From the lecture podium to the flat world.

(PLVN) - In the context of fundamental and comprehensive educational reform aimed at developing students' qualities and competencies, Vietnamese teachers are facing a series of challenges. From adapting to professional competency standards, supplementing modern knowledge and skills, to the pressure to innovate teaching methods, teachers not only need to transform from "knowledge transmitters" to "lifelong learning guides" but also overcome barriers related to professional development, training, and support.

Teachers face countless anxieties as they enter the "door" of integration.

NTN (a first-year student at the Central College of Pedagogy, Hanoi ) said that currently, in addition to her regular classes at school, she has to register for extra English and IELTS classes. N shared that she is quite worried about the changes in foreign language teaching and learning in preschools in the near future, especially as English will become a widely used second language in schools, and teachers who can teach "bilingually" will have a significant advantage.

In contrast to NTN, Ms. TTH (38 years old), who teaches Literature at a center in Hanoi, shared that she still struggles to keep up with new knowledge to avoid falling behind. Ms. TTH has spent time acquiring knowledge about technologies such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Grammarly, and Canva AI to design more lively, engaging, and interesting lessons for her students. However, having been accustomed to traditional teaching methods for many years, she still feels awkward using these technologies.

Looking ahead, with English becoming the second language in schools, Ms. TTH said she will enroll in language courses to keep up with educational trends. She shared: “This is a big challenge for subject teachers (except for English teachers). We need time to regain our basic English knowledge because we haven't used it for a long time. After that, we need to continue improving our skills to apply English in teaching our students.”

Decision No. 2371/QD-TTg dated October 27, 2025, of the Prime Minister approving the Project "Making English the Second Language in Schools" is a major policy direction with direct and long-term impacts on the teaching staff in the national education system. Decision 2371/QD-TTg clearly defines the core role of this staff in achieving the goal of making English the second language. The State focuses on developing, standardizing, and improving the quality of English teachers through competency assessments, retraining, professional development, teaching methods, and the application of technology. In addition, teachers of other subjects are encouraged to improve their English proficiency. The roadmap for making English the second language in schools will be implemented with a focus on key areas and in accordance with the practical conditions of each locality and educational institution.

At the end of 2025, Decision No. 2732/QD-TTg dated December 16, 2025, approved the Project “Strengthening Foreign Language Teaching and Learning in the period 2025-2035, with orientation to 2045”. Implementing the Party and State's viewpoint on foreign language teaching and learning, as well as teaching and learning in foreign languages ​​at all levels of education and training, the goal is to improve foreign language proficiency for learners at all levels to meet the requirements of communication, learning, accessing knowledge and international integration, building a generation of young people with good foreign language skills, contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnam's human resources. Besides English, Decision 2732/QD-TTg emphasizes teaching a variety of languages ​​such as Lao, Cambodian, Korean, etc.

Vietnam is entering an era of integration, with increasingly strong exchanges and relations with the international community. The need to improve the quality of the workforce in terms of professional skills, technological proficiency, and foreign language proficiency is becoming a pressing issue. Therefore, digital technology and foreign language education must be prioritized from within the school system. Teachers become the key "leaders" in transmitting and teaching foreign languages ​​to students from preschool to university.

Alongside the advantages, there are still challenges for teachers, such as having to relearn English and simultaneously hone their skills in applying technology, AI, etc., to meet the needs of students. Many teachers, especially older teachers and those in remote areas, are still struggling and confused about this issue.

The training and development of teachers needs to be improved.

In the context of national digital transformation and fundamental, comprehensive educational reform, digital technology has become an indispensable tool in teaching, educational management, and student competency development. Teachers not only need to know how to use technological devices but also need to have the ability to integrate technology into pedagogical activities effectively and safely.

Speaking to the media, Professor Huynh Van Son, Rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, stated that the period from 2026 to 2035 is identified as a time for accelerating the modernization of education and implementing the goals of the Education Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Making English the second language in schools opens up many opportunities but also presents numerous challenges. (Illustrative image - Source: Tan Mai Primary School)

Resolution 71 of the Politburo also emphasizes the need to allocate sufficient personnel and improve the quality of training and professional development for teachers and management staff. The entire sector is entering a period of simultaneously implementing the 2018 General Education Program, promoting strong digital transformation, and expanding integration. Strengthening teacher training and developing the teaching staff is considered a strategic task for the education sector in this period.

Currently, teacher training and development faces several challenges, such as an imbalance between supply and demand. Some subjects, like English, computer science, music, and fine arts, still lack teachers; and there are disparities in teacher quality across regions, especially in disadvantaged areas. Furthermore, training and professional development are not truly aligned with real-world needs and do not adequately address the demands of digital competencies.

For example, before the implementation of the 2018 General Education Program, English was only compulsory at the lower secondary level, and was an elective subject at the primary level. With the implementation of the new program from the 2020-2021 school year, English teaching became compulsory from grade 3. For grades 1 and 2, if conditions permitted, it would only be taught as an enhanced or optional subject.

However, simply making English language instruction compulsory from grade 3 is already a major challenge for many localities across the country. According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, the country still lacks over 20,000 teachers in subjects such as English, Information Technology, Fine Arts, and Music, with the most significant shortage being English teachers.

In practice, the current teaching staff's ability to access and apply digital technology is still inadequate and uneven. Many teachers face difficulties in using digital platforms, developing e-learning materials, organizing student assessments in a digital environment, and adapting to the rapid development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and learning data analytics.

In particular, in many rural, mountainous, and highland areas, teachers still face many obstacles in accessing and mastering modern technology; the shortage of English teachers is quite common. For example, in Meo Vac district, there is currently only one English teacher; in Cao Bang province, nearly 70% of secondary schools in mountainous areas still do not meet the standards for technological equipment to support foreign language teaching and learning.

This situation shows that, in order to improve the overall quality of English language training and teaching in schools, a comprehensive reform of training, recruitment, and remuneration policies for teachers, especially those teaching subjects in English, is necessary. In particular, improving teachers' foreign language proficiency and their ability to access and apply digital technology is an urgent requirement to meet the goals of innovation and development in the education sector in the current context.

Adjust targets according to regional conditions:

Representative Nguyen Thi Lan Anh.

Representative Nguyen Thi Lan Anh (Lao Cai Provincial National Assembly Delegation) argued that applying the target of 30% of educational institutions nationwide, without distinction based on socio-economic conditions, infrastructure, and human resources, is unreasonable and could easily lead to unfairness for mountainous provinces, remote areas, and ethnic minority regions. According to the Representative, many major obstacles still exist in difficult areas, such as a shortage of English teachers, limited teaching capacity, and budgetary pressure for equipment investment and operation maintenance. Based on this reality, the Representative proposed adjusting the target according to local groups: approximately 20% for particularly difficult provinces; approximately 25% for difficult provinces; and 30% or more for other localities, depending on actual conditions. At the same time, the State needs to prioritize resources for training and developing English teachers and provide financial support for equipment investment in difficult areas.

Teacher shortages and inadequate infrastructure can easily lead to the risk of wasting resources.

Representative Tran Khanh Thu.

Representative Tran Khanh Thu (National Assembly Delegation of Hung Yen province) emphasized the need for a thorough assessment of actual conditions before setting implementation goals. According to Ms. Thu, the country currently lacks approximately 4,000 English teachers; the average age of teachers in many mountainous areas is quite high (around 44.2 years old), making it difficult to adopt new teaching methods. Furthermore, there are significant disparities in infrastructure between regions, especially in remote areas and areas inhabited by ethnic minorities. Therefore, investing in equipment without sufficient qualified teachers poses a clear risk of resource waste. Consequently, the representative proposed a specific roadmap, prioritizing investment in disadvantaged areas: providing 100% funding for the construction of standard foreign language classrooms in mountainous district schools before 2030; increasing the incentive allowance to 70-100% of the basic salary, along with housing support, to attract talented teachers. Simultaneously, we will promote the application of technology, connect online classes, and utilize artificial intelligence to compensate for staff shortages, while building English language centers based on a multi-community model.

Uyen Na (compiled)

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/tu-buc-giang-buoc-vao-the-gioi-phang.html