VietNamNet Bridge – Schools in Ho Chi Minh City are facing many difficulties in teaching maths and science in English due to a lack of textbooks and teachers.

English class at Luong The Vinh High School

10 schools in HCM City have been carrying out a pilot programme to teach maths and science in English since 2012. Pupils can register for the courses if they want to further improve their English skills.

However, schools lack both text books and teachers. Foreign teachers were hired to train the staff at Le Hong Phong High School while Bui Thi Xuan High School hired teachers from English centres for the courses.

A high school headmaster in District 1 said they could only implement the programme for 10th graders as their teachers lacked sufficient skills to teach older pupils.

According to the school directors, teachers for the courses had to meet high requirements in both English and the subjects they teach but the salaries offered by state schools are too low.

In addition, every school has been left to create and teach its own curriculum. Le Thi Diem Trang, vice headmaster of Gia Dinh High School, said their teachers had to research and write all the curriculum and texts.

Trang went on to say that many pupils weren’t keen on the courses anyway as they were harder than studying the normal subjects and didn’t see the point of learning them in a foreign language.

DTriNews