The Ministry of Education and Training held an international workshop to improve English teaching quality in Vietnam on December 8.

Ministry of Education and Training gathers opinions to improve English teaching at a meeting on December 8

Many proposals have been made from representatives from the British Council, IIG Vietnam, EMG and Apollo to improve the training courses and examinations.

According to Cao Phuong Ha, director of Education First in Vietnam, in the past recent years, Vietnam's English proficiency index (EPI) of 7th in Asia has underlined the huge improvement in English teaching in Vietnam since 2011.

The experts agreed that teachers play an important role in the system and it is necessary to have enough skilled teachers. The curriculum must be revised to be more interesting. There are also many proposals to set up and invest in an independent testing centre with skilled examiners from the ETS, British Council and Cambridge International Examinations.

Minister Phung Xuan Nha appreciated the proposals to improve English skills in Vietnam. He highlighted the standard curriculum that can cover most of the lessons and easy to learn for children in the rural and mountainous areas. It is necessary to create an English-friendly environment and show how English is used in daily lives to learners of all ages. Technology universities can use curriculum and hold discussions in English.

He went on to say that the ministry will consider setting up an independent testing centre. They are also planning on inviting reputable foreign organisations to review the teaching centres in Vietnam.

He said, "The ministry is considering revise teacher training courses that will be more suitable for different levels in schools. The ultimate goal is to create the best environment to learn English. In the next 20 years, the education will change with good English and strong technology."

Dtinews