The Government's project was announced on October 29, marking an important turning point in the long-term strategy of the education sector.
Notably, in high school, all schools must teach compulsory English from grade 1 (previously, English was only taught compulsory from grade 3, starting from 2003).
Of which, at least 20% of schools have achieved level 1 in teaching this language, 5% have achieved level 2 and 2% have achieved level 3. In the following years, the number of schools achieving level 3 gradually increased to 15%, while levels 2 and 1 were 20% and 50% respectively.
The Government has also set another bold and expecting goal: by 2045, Vietnam will form an educational ecosystem using English naturally.
This can be considered the beginning of a long-term strategy: forming the ability to integrate for the younger generation right from the first years of life.
The reduction of the compulsory school age from grade 3 to grade 1 demonstrates the Government's determination to consider foreign languages not only as a supplementary subject, but as a fundamental competence for global citizens.
The benefits of learning English early have been confirmed in many international studies. The period from 5 to 10 years old is considered the golden age for forming second language thinking. Early learning children not only pronounce more standardly but also absorb it naturally, without being lenient.
Another benefit is that when the new generation of students is equipped with better foreign language skills, Vietnam will shorten the integration gap with countries such as Singapore, Malaysia or the Philippines - countries that have used English as the main language of education for decades.
Of course, this project also comes with many challenges, first of all in terms of human resources. According to calculations, the country needs more than 22,000 English teachers for preschool and primary schools to effectively implement.
This is not only a human resource problem, but also a test of the management and resource allocation capacity of the education sector.
In addition, there are challenges in facilities, learning materials and teaching methods suitable for young students. If implemented hastily without ensuring the necessary conditions, it is easy to make "early learning" become "forced learning", counterproductive.
Finally, the goal of making English a compulsory subject from grade 1 and this project is not an achievement race, but a long-term foundation building process.
Parents and society need to recognize that learning English from grade 1 is not aimed at helping children speak fluently, but to form habits, confidence and language thinking - laying a solid foundation for the future of integration.
