Ministry of Education and Training explains why many units have stopped testing IELTS and foreign language certificates

On the morning of November 10, a series of units stopped taking IELTS exams and many international certificates. Many test organizers explained that the suspension of international language certificate exams was to complete the procedures according to Circular 11/2022 of the Ministry of Education and Training dated July 26 on joint organization of foreign language proficiency certificate exams. According to this Circular, organizations and individuals are only allowed to organize foreign language proficiency certificate exams when there is an approval decision or a decision to extend the joint organization of exams from the Ministry of Education and Training.

The suspension of foreign language certification exams is causing concern for many candidates and parents. Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do spoke to the press about the organization of foreign language certification exams in Vietnam.

PV: What do you think about the recent activities of organizing foreign language proficiency certification exams in Vietnam?

Deputy Minister Nguyen Huu Do:In recent times, the activity of organizing joint examinations to grant certificates in general, and foreign language proficiency certificates in particular, has tended to develop in terms of scale, form, and language. This activity meets the needs of those taking the exam to obtain certificates, creating convenience for people, businesses, and recruitment organizations to determine the foreign language proficiency of workers.

Besides the positive aspects, the association of foreign language certification examinations in Vietnam also has many shortcomings. Specifically: The association of foreign language certification examinations in Vietnam has been widely deployed in recent times with many types of certificates and many different languages ​​without quality control.

The joint organization of foreign language certificate exams in Vietnam mainly complies with the regulations of foreign partners, not fully complying with the regulations on conditions and criteria for joint organization of exams in Vietnam (regarding facilities, equipment, invigilators, supervisors, etc.), leading to some negative aspects that have been reported by domestic and foreign press such as: proxy exams, fraud in records, forgery of documents, etc.

These negative factors cause bad public opinion, affect the rights of certificate holders, affect the rights and interests of organizations that implement exams and issue certificates seriously; people are confused in choosing certificates and exam organizations to be granted certificates; cause tax losses for the State and reduce the attractiveness and transparency of the investment and business environment in the education sector in Vietnam.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do.

PV: How do you explain why some centers have to stop organizing foreign language certification exams?

Deputy Minister Nguyen Huu Do:Implementing Decree No. 86/2018/ND-CP and Circular No. 11/2022/TT-BGDDT, the Ministry of Education and Training is receiving applications for approval of the joint exam organization project.foreign language proficiency certificatein Vietnam.

Although the Ministry of Education and Training has guided the affiliated parties through many channels and forms (directly, indirectly, by phone, e-mail) and has been urgent in researching the projects and organizing the appraisal. However, the preparation of the application for approval of the association of many examination organizations up to this point has not met the requirements, especially the requirements for quality assurance, association criteria or legal status of the affiliated parties have not been clarified, the information presented in the projects is also insufficient or unclear, so the Ministry of Education and Training does not have enough basis to approve and publicly announce for the society to monitor.

The fact that some organizations/units have announced that they have stopped organizing foreign language proficiency exams is because the affiliated parties have not yet completed the application or have not yet completed the application to request the Ministry of Education and Training to approve it according to the provisions of Decree No. 86/2018/ND-CP and Circular No. 11/2022/TT-BGDDT. This demonstrates the respect and compliance with Vietnamese law by organizations/units (including Decree No. 04/2021/ND-CP dated January 22, 2021, regulating administrative sanctions in the field of education).

PV: What do units/organizations need to do to continue organizing exams and issuing certificates, sir?

Deputy Minister Nguyen Huu Do:To be allowed to jointly organize foreign language proficiency exams, the associated parties need to prepare a dossier requesting the Ministry of Education and Training for approval according to the provisions of Decree No. 86/2018/ND-CP and Circular No. 11/2022/TT-BGDDT. The dossier includes: Application for approval to jointly organize foreign language proficiency exams according to Form No. 08 in the Appendix issued with the Decree. Agreement or contract between the examination organization in Vietnam and the foreign language proficiency assessment facility. Document confirming the legal status of the associated parties. Project to organize exams to grant foreign language proficiency certificates according to Form No. 09 in the Appendix issued with the Decree.

Thus, parties wishing to cooperate in organizing foreign language certification exams need to prepare a complete application according to the above regulations. If the application meets the requirements, the Ministry of Education and Training will process it as quickly as possible to ensure compliance with current regulations (the appraisal and approval time according to Decree No. 86/2018 is 20 days). After approval, the Ministry of Education and Training will publicly post it on the Electronic Information Portal at http://moet.gov.vn so that people know, choose the right facility to take the exam to get the certificate and for society to participate in monitoring.

PV: Thank you./.