Clear roadmap and solutions to make English the second language in schools

On the morning of March 5, the Ministry of Education and Training held a workshop to provide comments on the draft national project "Gradually introducing English as a second language in schools in the period 2025-2035, with a vision to 2045".

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong chaired the workshop. Also attending were representatives of units under the Ministry of Education and Training; Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences; National Foreign Language Project; experts from higher education institutions, international organizations and representatives of a number of high schools.

Great opportunity for Education industry

Affirming that the implementation of the Project "Gradually bringing English as a second language in schools" is a great opportunity for the education sector in general and English teachers and learners in particular, Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong said that foreign language skills, especially English, have become an extremely important tool for deep and wide integration with the world, creating a generation of global citizens.

The Deputy Minister said: After the Politburo issued Conclusion No. 91-KL/TW, which included the content of gradually making English the second language in schools, the Ministry of Education and Training coordinated with the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City to organize a workshop to discuss solutions to achieve the above goal.

Based on that workshop, the Ministry of Education and Training advised and proposed to the Government to develop a national project with specific contents, clear people, clear work, clear time, clear products; including identifying goals, implementation roadmap. In the past time, units under the Ministry of Education and Training have actively developed a draft project, initially seeking advice and participation from all parties. The comments were quick, widespread, in line with practical requirements, and feasible.

At the workshop, the Deputy Minister suggested that opinions focus on the key content of viewpoints; general and specific goals; roadmap and implementation results; synchronization of solutions; criteria and principles to determine English as the second language in schools. Along with that are the requirements on programs, staff, facilities, etc. to support the implementation of English teaching and learning in schools.

Affirming the importance of assessing the current situation in implementing English teaching and learning in Vietnam, the Deputy Minister also recognized some advantages, such as the large number of learners, the strong development of international schools, teaching joint programs in high schools, and the development of IT and Foreign Language centers that have facilitated the implementation of the movement.

However, the Deputy Minister also pointed out difficulties such as differences between regions, many disadvantaged areas, small population, etc.; from there, he said that we need to learn from international experiences to make appropriate choices for the characteristics of Vietnamese education; ensure efficiency in resource use, teacher training, international cooperation, increase investment in infrastructure, attract socialization to implement the project sooner, faster, with better quality and efficiency.

Clear roadmap and implementation solutions

The draft national project “Gradually making English the second language in schools in the period 2025-2035, with a vision to 2045” sets the general goal that English is widely and regularly used in communication, study, research, and work, to gradually become the second language in schools; improve English proficiency to meet the needs of study and work, enhance the competitiveness of human resources in the new era, and contribute to the development and advancement of the country.

The draft Project sets out specific goals for each level of education (preschool education, general education, higher education, vocational education, and continuing education) in each specific period: By 2026 and then every 5 years, from 2030 to 2045. The school levels implementing English as a second language in Vietnam are also clearly stated in the draft.

To achieve these goals, the draft Project proposes 9 solutions, first of all, researching and perfecting the institutions. Along with that, strengthening communication and raising people's awareness of the importance of English in studying, working, communicating and integrating internationally.

At the same time, develop and train, retrain, and foster a sufficient number of teachers and lecturers teaching English and teaching in English, ensuring quality; prioritizing disadvantaged and especially disadvantaged areas. Issue and implement programs, curricula, textbooks, documents, and learning materials for teaching and learning English and teaching and learning in English.

Innovating testing, assessment and evaluation in English teaching and learning, teaching and learning in English towards international standards, enhancing the country's English testing capacity in the entire education system.

Promote the application of advanced technology platforms, artificial intelligence, enhance facilities, equipment and conditions for teaching and learning English, and teaching and learning in English.

Along with promoting international cooperation, building an effective English teaching and learning environment, and teaching and learning in English, the draft Project also provides solutions to promote socialization and public-private partnership in teaching and learning English as a second language, teaching and learning in English; implementing in the form of socialization in localities as soon as conditions are met.

The final solution proposed in the draft Project is to strengthen the organization of emulation activities and reward localities, units, organizations and individuals who actively and effectively implement activities to gradually make English the second language in schools.

Deploy with inheritance, prepare adequate resources

At the workshop, opinions shared the same view on the importance of foreign language teaching and learning in schools and the necessity of developing a national project "Gradually introducing English as a second language in schools in the period 2025-2035, with a vision to 2045".

The comments and suggestions focused on a number of concepts and definitions; the rationality, ease of understanding and feasibility of the 6 levels of schools implementing English as a second language in Vietnam; the roadmap and implementation solutions... In particular, many opinions emphasized that the implementation of the project needs to inherit the projects and activities that have been and are being implemented.

Mr. Do Tuan Minh - Chairman of the Board of the University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi shared that right after Conclusion 91-KL/TW was issued, the school held a meeting and included the content of "gradually making English the second language in schools" in the school's Resolution and Decision.

The University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi has also compiled a set of documents guiding how to introduce English as a second language in schools. It clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of not only teachers and learners, but also related subjects; guides the integration of English into schools at each level, for each different subject.

Mr. Do Tuan Minh said that to improve the effectiveness of the Project, it is necessary to approach English as a culture and environment of the school; it is necessary to inherit the achieved contents of the previous project, at the same time, draw lessons; create space for localities and educational institutions, depending on their conditions, to carry out appropriate and effective work, in accordance with their roles and responsibilities.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Trao - Vice Principal of Hanoi National University of Education, the Project needs to clarify the role and planning of the university education system, the role of key pedagogical schools, including developing programs and documents to train teachers and pedagogical students. Along with that, strengthen the facilities of teacher training schools; have specific plans on enrollment targets, funding to support teachers, students, and experts working together in English training majors.

Expressing his delight at the project's development, demonstrating the Government's and the Ministry of Education and Training's great attention to the role of English in education today, with clear and specific goals to promote the country's development, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Binh - Ho Chi Minh City University of Education said: Although the implementation process is long-term, the project needs a specific roadmap from the beginning to deploy at different levels according to each school and local context, as well as prepare resources and necessary conditions for implementation. In particular, consider the accessibility of students in remote areas, the rate of qualified teachers in different provinces and cities; mobilize socialization and different resources to serve the consulting, build tools to support effective implementation.

As an English teacher at Chau Son Primary School (Ba Vi, Hanoi), Ms. Le Thi Thanh Huyen expressed her desire to be trained and fostered in teaching methods in English; to continue to be invested in modern audio-visual equipment in Foreign Language classrooms; and to be assigned specific teaching hours appropriate for Foreign Language teachers.