A volunteer teaches English to children at the An Vinh Pagoda, Tuyen Quang Province. (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Englishfluency targets set by a national project are too high and not backed bysufficient inputs, experts say.
At a recent meeting on English teaching at colleges and universities held bythe education ministry, Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, head of HCM City TransportUniversity’s foreign language department, said a 2015 survey of fourth andfifth year students had found that fewer than 20 per cent could match expectedfluency criteria.
The 2008-2020 national project, “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in theNational Education System,” requires university graduates not majoring inforeign languages to reach B1 level, the third of six levels under the CommonEuropean Framework of Reference for Languages. (A1 - beginners; A2 -elementary; B1,B2 - intermediate; C1,C2 - advanced).
“It takes 360 to 400 hours of teaching for students to advance from level A2 toB1 level. But the current total in English teaching at the school is about 100hours,” Anh said.
Professor Dang Van Minh, deputy director of the Thai Nguyen University saidthat the university has had to lower its English output criteria to A2 insteadof B1.
“We set the target too high but do not have solutions to realise it,” he said.
Schools nationwide are struggling to achieve targets by the major nationalproject, the meeting heard.
Representatives of academic institutions said that the English level ofstudents at high school is so low that it is difficult to improve their Englishproficiency when they enter university.
Thus, a B1 standard upon graduation not feasible, they said.
After eight years, the national foreign language project, has failed to reachits targets in terms of the number of learners, and quality of teachinglearning at all academic levels, localities and sectors, a recent investigationby the State Audit Office of Vietnam found.
The office reported that project outcomes for the period 2011-2016 period arenot commensurate with the investment of more than 4.2 trillion VND (182.6million USD). Its targets are too high and broad. It also lacks appropriateschedules and solutions to realise them.
Under the project, a foreign language will become a major subject for allstudents from third to 12th grade. It sought to significantly enhance foreignlanguage proficiency of Vietnamese human resources by 2015, and havinggraduates of intermediate schools, colleges and universities be moreindependent and confident in communication by 2020.
This would enhance their abilities to study and work in an integrated andmulticultural environment, making foreign language capabilities a nationalstrength, the project envisaged.
Tran Anh Tuan, deputy head of the Department of Higher Education under Ministryof Education and Training, admitted that accomplishing some primary targets ofthe project by 2020 would a tough challenge.
The report by the State Audit Office of Vietnam states that in 2015-2016,proper surveys of teaching and learning foreign languages have not been done.Information about the number and quality of teachers, students, infrastructureand teaching equipment at ministries, sectors and localities have not beenupdated, it said.
It also said that assessment and issuance of new English curricula andtextbooks has been delayed. Some localities have rushed to expand the newEnglish programme without having qualified teachers, students andinfrastructure, it said.
The English proficiency level of teachers is one of the main reasons for theproject’s failures, the meeting heard. Nearly half the English teachers atprimary schools do not met set criteria.
An English proficiency test conducted by the Education Ministry on 500 Englishteachers in 2013 showed none of them were qualified for level C2. The majorityhad only reached B2 levels. 71 teachers had reached the C1 level. Twenty-twoteachers were at beginning and intermediate (A1 and A2) levels.
Another test on 324 teachers of English majors the same year also haddisappointing results. The English proficiency of 139 teachers was at A1 and A2level.
Tuan said that the national foreign language project has failed to reach itstarget, because teachers have uneven English proficiency levels.
The number of teachers trained abroad remains low, and many universities do nottest the proficiency of English major teachers.
Nguyen Minh Tri, a student of Saigon University told Tuoi tre (Youth) thatEnglish learning at primary, secondary, high schools and university placed toomuch focus on grammar. Students rarely have the chance to practice speaking andlistening, he said.
“Two English lessons per week and too many students in a class do not allow usto practice,” he said.
Representatives of many universities agreed that the number of English lessonsat schools is not enough for students to fulfil criteria required by thenational project.
An experienced expert in English education, Vu Thi Phuong Anh, told TuoiTre that quite a few English teachers trained abroad have a good commandof the language as well as teaching skills. But it would be hard for them tomake any breakthrough if current curricula and teaching methods are persistedwith, she said.
She said that learning English through books only cannot help students improvetheir proficiency. “We must change curriculum and teaching methods,” she said,without elaborating.
Tran Khac Hoan of the Vinh University of Technology and Education proposed tothe management board of the national foreign language project that they focuson improving English teachers’ capacity, especially through overseas training,even for schools not under the Education Ministry’s management.
The project should fix an annual budget for promoting English learning andteaching at educational institutions, said Phan Thanh Tien of Hue University.
In December 2017, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam approved amendments andsupplements to the foreign language teaching and learning project for the2017-2020 period.
The newly amended project calls for all academic levels to continue with thenew foreign language curriculum, and improve English proficiency of students toadapt to studying and working requirements, towards foreign language universalisation(having all schools and colleges teach foreign languages) by 2025.
By 2025, 100 percent of foreign language majors of universities must applyoutput criteria for students upon graduation while 80 percent of other majorsmust also apply the criteria.
By 2025, 100 percent of students majoring in foreign language teaching mustfollow professional criteria and fulfill requirements of foreign languageteachers’ capacity.-VNA
The office reported that project outcomes for the period 2011-2016 period arenot commensurate with the investment of more than 4.2 trillion VND (182.6million USD). Its targets are too high and broad. It also lacks appropriateschedules and solutions to realise them.
Under the project, a foreign language will become a major subject for allstudents from third to 12th grade. It sought to significantly enhance foreignlanguage proficiency of Vietnamese human resources by 2015, and havinggraduates of intermediate schools, colleges and universities be moreindependent and confident in communication by 2020.
This would enhance their abilities to study and work in an integrated andmulticultural environment, making foreign language capabilities a nationalstrength, the project envisaged.
Tran Anh Tuan, deputy head of the Department of Higher Education under Ministryof Education and Training, admitted that accomplishing some primary targets ofthe project by 2020 would a tough challenge.
The report by the State Audit Office of Vietnam states that in 2015-2016,proper surveys of teaching and learning foreign languages have not been done.Information about the number and quality of teachers, students, infrastructureand teaching equipment at ministries, sectors and localities have not beenupdated, it said.
It also said that assessment and issuance of new English curricula andtextbooks has been delayed. Some localities have rushed to expand the newEnglish programme without having qualified teachers, students andinfrastructure, it said.
The English proficiency level of teachers is one of the main reasons for theproject’s failures, the meeting heard. Nearly half the English teachers atprimary schools do not met set criteria.
An English proficiency test conducted by the Education Ministry on 500 Englishteachers in 2013 showed none of them were qualified for level C2. The majorityhad only reached B2 levels. 71 teachers had reached the C1 level. Twenty-twoteachers were at beginning and intermediate (A1 and A2) levels.
Another test on 324 teachers of English majors the same year also haddisappointing results. The English proficiency of 139 teachers was at A1 and A2level.
Tuan said that the national foreign language project has failed to reach itstarget, because teachers have uneven English proficiency levels.
The number of teachers trained abroad remains low, and many universities do nottest the proficiency of English major teachers.
Nguyen Minh Tri, a student of Saigon University told Tuoi tre (Youth) thatEnglish learning at primary, secondary, high schools and university placed toomuch focus on grammar. Students rarely have the chance to practice speaking andlistening, he said.
“Two English lessons per week and too many students in a class do not allow usto practice,” he said.
Representatives of many universities agreed that the number of English lessonsat schools is not enough for students to fulfil criteria required by thenational project.
An experienced expert in English education, Vu Thi Phuong Anh, told TuoiTre that quite a few English teachers trained abroad have a good commandof the language as well as teaching skills. But it would be hard for them tomake any breakthrough if current curricula and teaching methods are persistedwith, she said.
She said that learning English through books only cannot help students improvetheir proficiency. “We must change curriculum and teaching methods,” she said,without elaborating.
Tran Khac Hoan of the Vinh University of Technology and Education proposed tothe management board of the national foreign language project that they focuson improving English teachers’ capacity, especially through overseas training,even for schools not under the Education Ministry’s management.
The project should fix an annual budget for promoting English learning andteaching at educational institutions, said Phan Thanh Tien of Hue University.
In December 2017, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam approved amendments andsupplements to the foreign language teaching and learning project for the2017-2020 period.
The newly amended project calls for all academic levels to continue with thenew foreign language curriculum, and improve English proficiency of students toadapt to studying and working requirements, towards foreign language universalisation(having all schools and colleges teach foreign languages) by 2025.
By 2025, 100 percent of foreign language majors of universities must applyoutput criteria for students upon graduation while 80 percent of other majorsmust also apply the criteria.
By 2025, 100 percent of students majoring in foreign language teaching mustfollow professional criteria and fulfill requirements of foreign languageteachers’ capacity.-VNA
VNA
