The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has just posted a draft Circular amending and supplementing a number of contents in the General Education Program issued together with Circular No. 32/2018/TT-BGDDT dated December 26, 2018 to collect comments from agencies, organizations, and individuals on the Ministry of Education and Training's Electronic Information Portal.
The development of a Circular amending and supplementing a number of contents in the General Education Program aims to unify and be consistent with the foreign language education orientation in the new context of making English a second language in schools, while strengthening teaching, learning and equality of foreign languages in schools.
English is a compulsory subject from grade 1.
Draft Circular amending and supplementing the content of education at the primary level in the basic education stage.
Accordingly, the draft stipulates compulsory education subjects and activities: Vietnamese; Mathematics; Ethics; Foreign Language 1 (if choosing English: in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; if choosing another foreign language other than English: in grades 3, 4, 5); Nature and Society (in grades 1, 2, 3); History and Geography (in grades 4, 5); Science (in grades 4, 5); Informatics and Technology (in grades 3, 4, 5); Physical Education; Arts (Music, Fine Arts); Experiential Activities.
Elective subjects: Ethnic minority language, Foreign language 1 (if choosing another foreign language besides English: in grade 1, grade 2).
With this regulation, choosing English as Foreign Language 1 in schools both meets the orientation of "making English the second language in schools", and does not affect the implementation of teaching other foreign languages in the general education program, ensuring no disruption for students and educational institutions, avoiding the understanding of only learning one foreign language, which is English.
From grade 6, high school students can choose to add another foreign language
Draft Circular amending and supplementing the content of Foreign Language in the orientation section on educational content in the general education program.
Accordingly, Foreign Language (including foreign languages with approved programs) helps students form and develop language skills (foreign languages) to use confidently and effectively, serving learning and communication, meeting the requirements of human resource development in the cause of industrialization, modernization and international integration of the country.
The Foreign Language subject comprehensively develops 4 skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The foreign language education content is built seamlessly from the basic education stage to the career orientation education stage based on reference to international and Vietnamese foreign language proficiency frameworks.
High school students are required to learn one foreign language (called Foreign Language 1). Students can get acquainted with another foreign language at the primary school level. From grade 6, high school students can choose another foreign language (called Foreign Language 2) according to their wishes and the ability of the educational institution to meet them.
According to the draft Circular, educational institutions select (foreign languages) (including English) suitable to their ability to organize foreign language subject 1 teaching.
Also according to the draft, Foreign Language 2 is an elective subject, which can be taught starting from grade 6 and ending in any grade depending on the needs of students and the ability of the educational institution.
