The English language approach program is being piloted at nursery schools and primary schools for the 1st and 2nd graders in Khanh Hoa Province, paving the way for children to learn English...
The English language approach program is being piloted at nursery schools and primary schools for the 1st and 2nd graders in Khanh Hoa Province, paving the way for children to learn English as a compulsory subject when they reach the 3rd grade.
Play-based learning
Every week, children at 8-3 Nursery School, Nha Trang City are interested in exciting activities of an English class such as singing, dancing, playing games, reading short poems and telling stories in English. Teachers motivate learning by offering continuous encouragement with flags or smiling icons. Each child has a name in English. The classroom is beautifully decorated in both Vietnamese and English language.
Mai Thi Minh Tuyet, Principal of 8-3 Nursery School says the foreign language approach program is for 3 to 6-year-olds upon the request of parents. This school year, 70% parents have registered for their kids’ engagement in the program.
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According to the leader of Khanh Hoa Department of Education & Training, the foreign language approach pilot program has been expanded with participating schools increasing from 12 in the 2015 - 2016 academic year to 83 in the 2019 – 2020, up by 10. Most of the teachers are young and well-trained. With experience in teaching English to young kids over the years, they can understand children’s needs more deeply and truly to have suitable teaching activities to keep them engaged and motivated. The language program is managed and supervised by Khanh Hoa Department of Education & Training to suit young ages.
Primary schools' participation encouraged
According to Khanh Hoa Department of Education & Training, the funding for the program is based on the agreement between children’s parents and the schools, but not exceeding VND80,000/ child/ month for kindergartens and VND90,000/ child/ month for primary schools. The pilot program began in 24 primary schools in the second term of the 2017 - 2018 academic year. Up till now, 12,200 first and second graders of 52 primary schools have been engaged in the program, accounting for 26.3%.
Every week, children have 2 English periods in the afternoon. The English class is not compulsory, but is encouraged in schools with sufficient facilities and infrastructures and; it is based on voluntary participation of children and their parents. The English language program is required not to put pressure on learners or affect the curricula prescribed by the Ministry of Education & Training. As an approach program, the foreign language class is not included in the final academic results and awards.
Khanh Hoa Department of Education & Training has provided professional development and training as well as assessed English teaching materials for the 1st and 2nd graders. The English approach program has been backed by parents, facilitating children’s access to English language when they enter primary schools. It is considered as a good preparation for learning English as a compulsory subject in grade 3.
This program is to prepare for a new general education curriculum expected to be applied soon. The English language is an optional foreign language subject for the 1st and 2nd graders; and is linked to the English curriculum for the 3rd to 12th grades, according to Ha Van Thong, Chief of the Primary Education Division, Khanh Hoa Department of Education & Training.
H.Ngan
Translated by N.T
