Local
teachers of English not up to standard
Vu Minh Quang, father of a seventh grader at
Trung Nhi Junior Secondary School, noticed a contradict son's English.
"He has always got
best marks at English grammar, but when I take him out to meet my foreign
partners, he finds it hard to speak proficiently," Quang said.
As Quang's doubts about the quality of English
teaching at his son's school rose, he thought the targets in the Ministry of
Education and Training (MoET)'s National Foreign Languages 2020 Project too
ambitious to achieve.
The project, released in 2008, by 2020 aims for
most Vietnamese students graduating from secondary, vocational schools,
colleges and universities to be able to use a foreign language confidently.
It also aims that they study and work in an
integrated, multi-cultural and multi-lingual environment.
The project is part of the educational
development of Vietnamese people in the cause of industrialisation and
modernisation.
"Sometimes I see wrong explanations and
pronunciations made by my son's teacher," he said, "Teachers at lower
education levels must be proficient so that they do not spoil students'
ability.
"Once we have good quality English teaching
staff, then the language project becomes more practical," he added.
Statistics from the MoET show that 98 per cent
of students are studying English as a foreign language at schools and colleges.
The ministry's report says that many cannot use English after seven years at
school and two years at college.
Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen
Vinh Hien admitted the biggest problem in English training in Viet Nam was the
lack of good quality teachers.
"Besides, teachers have been focusing on
grammar instead of other skills," he said.
Sharing the same opinion, US educator Diana
Dudzik, who has helped with the development of National English Teachers
Education Curriculum, said the major weakness of English teachers was language
proficiency.
"They need time and opportunity to improve
proficiency," Dudzik said.
She added that schools should pay teachers
adequately so that they could concentrate on teaching.
"If teachers have to do extra jobs to get
money, how can they manage time to improve their language proficiency and
methodology," she said.
As part of the project, English teachers at
public schools will undergo a test to ensure they are qualified to teach. The
required level is B2, which is equivalent to 5-6 scores with the International
English Language Testing System (IELTS).
English teacher Hoai Huong at Ngo Si Lien Junior
Secondary School in Ha Noi said she had known about the test since the
beginning for the school year, but no further information was provided.
Huong believed that the test would not be a
problem to those teaching at schools for talented students since they had good
background and experiences.
"However, the test might be difficult for
many teachers in rural schools," Huong said.
"Many of my colleagues in underprivileged
schools may feel nervous about their scores since they will affect their
future."
Huong said teachers wanted to know more about
the test, the test model and time, so that they could prepare better.
Manager of the project, Nguyen Ngoc Hung, said
the test could be modelled on those from international institutions, such as
Cambridge and Oxford, or from eight prestigious universities nationwide that
had been licensed by MoET, including Ha Noi University, Viet Nam National
University and HCM City University for Teacher's Training.
"The test will help departments of
education and training check on the quality of English teachers," Hung
said, "Based on the results, localities can make adequate plans to train
and foster teachers."
According to Hung, 24 cities and provinces have
organised the test.
The MoET official said localities would give
under-qualified teachers two years to improve their skills.
Deputy Minister of Education Hien urged teachers
to apply self study. "This is the most important thing," he said,
"Training courses will just last for a week or two and provide them with
skills for self study."
"The ministry is building a website for
English teachers to log in for self study," he added.
Nguồn : http://www.dtinews.vn/en/news/020/20328/local-teachers-of-english-not-up-to-standard-.html
Nguồn : http://www.dtinews.vn/en/news/020/20328/local-teachers-of-english-not-up-to-standard-.html
NOTE :
1. to notice a contradiction in sb/st : nhận thấy sự mâu thuẫn trong
st
2.
take sb out to meet sb : đưa ai đi gặp ai
3. to be able to use a foreign language
confidently. : để có thể sử dụng ngôn ngữ thành thạo
4. an integrated, multi-cultural and
multi-lingual environment.: trong môi trường tương tác,đa văn hóa,đa ngôn ngữ
5. in the cause of industrialisation and modernization
: trong sự nghiệp CNH-HĐH đất nước
6. explanation : sự giải thích
7.spoil (v) phá hỏng,làm hỏng
8.the lack of st : thiếu, giảm sút
9. to focus on st instead of st : tập trung st thay vì st
focusing
on grammar instead of other skills
10.
do extra jobs to get money : làm thêm để kiếm tiền
11.to
undergo a test :trải qua bài test
12.
rural schools : trường nông thôn
13.
could be modelled on those from st : được mô hình hóa từ st
14.
make adequate plans to train and foster teachers : thực hiện kế hoạch chi tiết
để đào tạo và bồi dưỡng đội ngũ giáo viên