Vietnam, which seeks to establish English as a second language, will designate English as a mandatory subject from the first grade of elementary school by 2030, local Vietnamese media VN Express reported.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training announced that under a long-term plan to designate English as a second language in Vietnamese schools by 2045, all schools nationwide will have to teach English as a mandatory subject starting in the first grade by 2030.
Currently, English is a compulsory subject starting in the third grade of elementary school in Vietnam. Some schools with sufficient teachers and facilities can provide English education from the first grade, but it is an optional course of two hours per week.
The Vietnamese government has decided to introduce and strengthen English education not only in elementary schools but also in kindergartens. To support this, the government plans to secure 12,000 English teachers in kindergartens and 10,000 in elementary schools by 2030, and retrain at least 200,000 English teachers as English teachers.
EJ SONG
US ASIA JOURNAL
