The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) is seeking opinions on the draft amendment of the 2018 General Education Program, which proposes that students learn Foreign Language 1 from grade 1.
The earlier a child is exposed to foreign languages, the more conditions it has to form the ability to hear, pronounce and naturally react to language if organized by appropriate methods.
At the age of elementary school, children are often interested in exploring new languages and good ability to imitate sounds and explore new things, facilitating the familiarization with foreign languages.
But the important thing is that learning English from grade 1 does not mean turning elementary school into a place to race for foreign language certificates.
If turning English learning into heavy lessons, forcing children to memorize a series of grammar structures, and continuously take tests, good goals may be counterproductive.
Children need to be taught by methods appropriate to their age, through communication, games, images, music, technology and close situations.
The ultimate goal is not a beautiful transcript, but the ability to use foreign languages.
The draft also has a noteworthy point when it still opens up the opportunity to choose other foreign languages. From grade 6, you can choose Foreign Language 2 according to the needs and conditions of the school.
A good foreign language education system must create many choices so that students can learn foreign languages according to their abilities, interests and career orientation.
These are noteworthy steps but also show a very clear requirement, the policy can only be successful if it comes with commensurate resources.
First of all, teachers must be trained and fostered to meet new requirements. Programs, textbooks, learning materials and teaching equipment must be appropriate.
Listening training software, digital learning resources, foreign language classrooms and interactive platforms can help students get more exposure to English.
The biggest challenge lies not only in the program but also in the ability to ensure uniform implementation conditions. If there is a lack of teachers, learning materials and a practical environment, introducing English from grade 1 can create more distance between students in different areas.
One thing to note is that when English becomes a compulsory subject, the burden should not turn into extra learning pressure.
Schools must ensure quality right in the official curriculum, so that the opportunity to learn foreign languages does not depend on whether the family has the conditions to let their children take extra classes or not.
Bringing English to children from grade 1 is early preparation for the future, but popularizing the opportunity to learn English is a more important goal than just putting this subject into the schedule.
A modern education system cannot let high school graduates be afraid to communicate with the world due to foreign language barriers.
English is not the only ticket to step out into the world, but it is definitely one of the important tools.
Therefore, it is necessary to support the proposal of the Ministry of Education and Training, and at the same time set higher requirements, if it is mandatory, it must be taught truthfully, learned truthfully, and used truthfully.
