Vinh University: Improving foreign language proficiency for teaching staff

(Baonghean)At the conference to review self-criticism and criticism in the spirit of Resolution 4 of the Central Committee, the Standing Committee of the Vinh University Party Committee identified 9 groups of issues that need to be addressed immediately, including implementing solutions to improve English proficiency for staff to better serve teaching, scientific research and international integration, towards the goal of building Vinh University into a national key university...

Although in recent years, Vinh University has implemented many synchronous solutions to improve the English proficiency of staff to serve teaching and scientific research such as: organizing annual exams, opening many university-level English training classes, training in English communication at all levels, free IELTS English for staff and lecturers, selecting staff to send for master's and doctoral training, English training abroad... However, according to the assessment of the Party Committee and the Board of Directors of Vinh University, the current foreign language proficiency of staff and lecturers still does not meet the requirements of university education innovation in the context of international integration and competition between higher education institutions. The number of staff with foreign language proficiency to directly work and cooperate in scientific research with foreign countries is still small. This is demonstrated through the 2011 year-end foreign language proficiency test for young teachers under 35 years old and teachers with doctoral degrees in line with international standards.



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As a result, 158 English teachers achieved 360-570 TOEFL scores, 79 teachers did not meet the requirements. Currently, the whole school has 956 teaching staff, of which only 51% have standard English proficiency.

That situation has been seriously recognized, evaluated and determined by the Party Committee of Vinh University to improve foreign language proficiency, mainly English for teaching staff as one of the 9 groups of issues that need to be done immediately after the self-criticism and criticism review conference according to Resolution 4 of the Central Committee. Accordingly, to quickly implement the requirement of having a team of staff participating in teaching advanced programs, academic exchanges, scientific research at foreign higher education institutions; quickly implement the Prime Minister's goal of English proficiency requirements for staff and lecturers at higher education institutions. Associate Professor - Dr. Thai Van Thanh - Vice Principal of the school said: To have good students, first of all, there must be good teachers, to expand to attract foreign students, it is also necessary to have a team of teachers fluent in foreign languages.

To achieve this goal, the Vinh University Party Committee has also developed solutions with a roadmap and specific steps starting from raising awareness among lecturers and staff. That is, continuing to open English training classes for staff according to the national foreign language project, requiring 100% of staff from the faculties of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Information Technology to participate, in which party members must be exemplary leaders; organizing for staff to attend training courses, education courses and English training courses at universities, research institutes, scientific and educational establishments abroad.

The Party Committee and the Board of Directors of the school set specific criteria and requirements such as: Using the results of the annual foreign language test for teaching staff as a criterion for evaluating the competition. Those who do not pass the test must have a self-study and self-training plan to continue taking the test in the following years. Those who do not take the test or do not pass the test will not be considered for high-level competition titles. Lecturers and senior lecturers with doctoral degrees who do not take the test will not be accepted by the school for consideration for the titles of Professor, Associate Professor, People's Teacher, Excellent Teacher, etc. As one of the 9 universities that benefit from the national foreign language project, Vinh University is currently applying to build a North Central Foreign Language Training Center, first of all to train secondary school teachers for the 4 provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Thanh Hoa according to the European reference framework. Thanks to this project, Vinh University has opened a number of high-quality foreign language training classes, especially communication skills for staff and lecturers in the school.

The school has also completed an advanced teaching program in English with about 20 PhDs, 10 of whom were trained in the US, and has a plan to promote the role and advantages of postgraduate students studying abroad to learn from experience, exchange expertise, and ways to implement training programs at major universities around the world... to build a framework program, detailed outlines of courses, documents, and course textbooks.

Thus, in order to build a national key school, in which in terms of staff, the goal is to strive for by 2015, over 50% of university lecturers have a doctorate degree; by 2020, over 75% of university lecturers have a doctorate degree and all of them meet the prescribed standards on foreign language proficiency, especially English. The determination to focus on improving foreign language proficiency for staff and lecturers is one of the 9 urgent issues that need to be done immediately after the review according to Resolution 4 of the Central Committee, which comes from the urgent requirements of reality.

Khanh Ly