Poor English language skills, teaching hinder Vietnamese

Students in class at the Apollo language centre in Ha Noi.

“If my husband’s English was better he could find a job or take some courses while I study in the US,” she says.

“But how can I go and learn [for four years], while my family stays at home?” Le’s husband Hoang Hung, 31, works for a bank in Ha Noi. He graduated from the National Economics University and is now getting his master’s degree in economics.

Hung’s teacher says that many young men are having a difficult time learning English.

“Some of my students couldn’t pass their English tests to study in the UK, which is the fourth year of study included in our programme,” he says.

Hung is one of thousands of people in Viet Nam, who need to improve their English to help the country develop.

Despite the fact Viet Nam has been a member of the World Trade Organisation for almost three years, English language communication is still a major barrier for Vietnamese enterprises, particularly small and medium-sized ones, said Khalid Muhmood, chairman of the Apollo Education&Training.

As a result many enterprises are missing out on opportunities to work with foreign partners, or export their items, says Dao Minh Tan, director of the website kiemviec.com.

A representative from Ha Noi Industrial University said many students missed out on well-paid jobs because their English skills were so limited.

To help Vietnamese improve their English, Apollo, the British Council and other centres are lending a helping hand.

Many companies in Viet Nam have begun to recognise the importance of investing in English language training. They see training as foundation for projected long-term growth.

“Many enterprises have asked Apollo to design training courses around their business requirements, like English for banking or English for tourism,” said Khalid.

The organisation recently conducted a survey of corporations and organisations in Viet Nam to research their priorities in investing in corporate English language training this year. The survey will identify their current English usage and the scope of their plans to improve the English language skills of the staff.

Poor teaching

Poor English teaching at the university level is a thorny issue, as the State has invested money and resources in improving courses.

A first-year student at Ha Noi National University summarised his English classes from the sixth grade to university as a path, where he learned how to say “How are you?” at every stop.

He said the current curriculum does not connect the levels well, making teachers and students waste time.

A survey conducted by the Under-graduate and Post-Graduate Department under the Ministry of Education and Training at 59 universities nation-wide found more than 87 per cent had ill-defined criteria when it came to their English training curriculum.

The survey also found 84 per cent of surveyed universities had built their own curriculum, resulting in uneven qualifications for learning English.

The survey also found that only 964 teachers from the 59 universities not specialising in English were able to satisfy more than half of the English curriculum. The rest had to rely on the help of experienced guest lecturers.

According to the Under-graduate and Post-graduate Department, many English teachers lack English skills because they don’t meet many native speakers.

Most universities rely on text books to teach English.

Conventional methods

While many universities remain short of English teaching facilities, the survey found 69.7 per cent of universities were equipped with language laboratories with an average of 28 computers – about half of which were connected to the internet.

Yet, only 10 per cent of the total time spent learning English is in language labs.

Conventional English teaching methods still overwhelm students, with the focus more on grammar and vocabulary than listening skills.

A sample survey on English language skills among university graduates that do not major in languages found 51.7 per cent did not use English for research or communication purposes, said head of the department, Tran Thi Ha.

Banh Tien Long, deputy minister of education and training, said testing and evaluation of English was still based on reading and grammar exercises, and that the use of English for communication was ignored.

Most students were not able to use the language to study, do research or even communicate after learning at universities for up to six years.

A recent survey conducted by the Law University in HCM City reported only 1 per cent of its students held an advanced English-language degree. Around 80 per cent of students are at beginner or primary levels.

The Ha Noi Trade University, has also invested a lot in English teaching.

While university principal Bui Xuan Nhan said its graduates were able to get between 400 and 450 on the TOEIC test (Test of English International Communication), an employer at Viet Nam Airlines Nguyen Quoc Truong said an aircraft technician must have a score of 600 or higher.

A representative from the US Educational Testing Service, said students needed to attend 480 classes to get a good TOEIC mark, butthe current curriculum only covers 240 class periods.

He said many schools were concentrating on teaching English for special purposes, while failing to arm students with basic English skills.

Khalid stressed the importance of using the language. “If learners are hesitant to communicate in English, they will gradually forget almost all of what they have learned.”

VNN/VNS