VietNamNet Bridge – English teachers fear that they may lose their job if they fail the upcoming exam re-sits.

Hundreds of teachers went out in the heavy rain to the Ben Tre City Continuing Education Center on July 14 to attend an intensive English training course.

After the one-week refresher course, they will have to sit an English test to discover if their English skills are up to part for teaching provincial general schools under the national program on teaching and learning English in 2008-2020.

Under the national program, primary and secondary school teachers must have B2 English level, while high school teachers must have C1 level.

Under a recently released decision by the Ben Tre provincial education department, substandard teachers may be listed as unfulfilling duties. They would be forced to repay the money for retraining or even disciplined if they fail the upcoming English resits.

Previously, 900 English teachers in Ben Tre Province took an English test, but only one teacher was recognized as meeting the required standards.

The others were told to attend refresher courses to improve their knowledge and obtain Cambridge University’s FCE (First Certificate in English).

An English teacher in Mo Cay Bac District said she failed five English exams for FCE.

“I go to a class organized by the provincial education department and to a foreign language center to practice my English. Besides, I have daily lessons with a private tutor at home,” she said, adding that she has spent some VND10 million to improve her English, but it’s unclear when she can obtain FCE.

The teacher complained that if she does not pass the exams, this would badly affect the school’s collective emulation achievements.

“My colleagues now look at me as an offender because their great efforts may be in vain just because of me,” she said.

Another teacher from Mo Cay Nam District complained that the refresher courses were ineffective because each of the courses lasts only one week.

“It is really difficult to undertake many works at the same time. I have to give lessons at school, fulfill other works designed by the board of management and attend retraining courses as well,” she said.

“All the members of my class failed the last exam. And I am sure I will fail the upcoming exam because my knowledge cannot be improved just after one week,” she said.

The teacher also complained about the quality of the refresher courses. The learning documents, curriculum and teachers are provided by EMCO, a company headquartered in HCM City.

However, learners complained that the teaching curriculum does not follow the Cambridge’s exam questions closely.

In reply to the complaints, Le Ngoc Buu, Director of the Ben Tre provincial Education and Training, said that all the teachers have to meet standards and fulfill duties, and they must not complain that the standards are too high.

VTC