VietNamNet Bridge - The HCM City Education and Training Department has released a list of 43 high school teachers who did not participate in refresher courses as part of the project on upgrading English skills in 2011-2020. The training course aimed to offer practice of listening and speaking skills.

 

high schools have been asked to create most favorable conditions for teachers to attend the training courses, while the training cost is paid by the city’s budget.

An official of the department said many training courses have been organized to upgrade teachers’ English capability. However, many teachers refused to attend the classes.

The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has decided that high school teachers have to have C1 level, while elementary school teachers need B1 and middle school educators B2. 

Meanwhile, a MOET test which used guidelines from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages to check listening, speaking, reading and writing skills of thousands of teachers in 30 provinces and cities showed only 3-7% made the grade, according to Dan Tri.

HT, a teacher of English from a high school in Binh Thanh district, said many teachers quit the classes because they could not catch up with the programs.

“In the past, we learned English with the ‘Vietnamese method’. But nowadays, we follow new methods with international standards. The lessons focus on practice of listening and speaking skills,” she explained.

Teachers still don’t want to go to class because they are busy with extra jobs to earn money.

Also, according to the teacher, some lessons with native English speakers were designed for learners. However, a lot of teachers could not communicate with native speakers. 

While foreign teachers run lessons through creative ways, including games and physical activities, Vietnamese teachers remain passive and don’t like to participate in activities.

“Our teachers all passed writing and reading tests, while some of them failed listening and speaking tests,” she said.

The headmaster of a high school said it was difficult to persuade teachers of English to attend refresher training courses.

“They think they are teachers and their job is teaching, not learning,” he said.

According to Do Minh Hoang from the HCMC Education and Training Department, most teachers could upgrade their English skills after attending the training courses. 

However, their hesitancy to go to class is the biggest obstacle to the implementation of the English skill upgrading project.

Hoang said high schools have been asked to create most favorable conditions for teachers to attend the training courses, while the training cost is paid by the city’s budget. 

However, teachers still don’t want to go to class because they are busy with extra jobs to earn money.

Pham Ngoc Thanh, deputy director of the HCM City Education and Training Department, noted that it is impossible to force teachers to meet standards overnight.


CV