MOET prohibits teaching of reading and writing before the first grade

Numerous adverts for classes that teach English to 2-year-old children through software can be found on social networks. 

Many urban parents believe their children need to begin learning English as soon as possible.

“Scientists say it would be better for people to begin learning foreign languages in their childhood,” Nguyen Huyen Nga, an office worker, said.

The mother said the competition for jobs is getting fierce and workers need to be equipped with many skills and knowledge to find good jobs. “It is necessary to prepare them for the future jobs right now, or it’ll be too late,” Nga said.

Tran Thu Hong, a colleague of Nga’s, changed her mind about early lessons after she met a 4-year-old boy who could ‘speak English well’.

“If my kid cannot practice right now, he will never catch up with other children,” Hong said.

However, Dr Vu Huong from Cleverkids said education is a long process and it is necessary to set up detailed schedules on what children need to learn in different periods of their lives.

In Germany and some European countries, children do not practice writing and foreign languages at preschool. In Germany first grade students spend time practicing skills. The volume of knowledge increases gradually year after year. 

Meanwhile, a report released in 2012 showed that students at aged 15 in Germany had learning outcomes much higher than the average global level.

Huong, who analyzed the education programs in the UK, France and Hungary, found that European education experts believe that good writing and math do not create a complete person.

A high school teacher commented that the difference in Vietnamese and European parents’ thoughts about whether to bring children to school early lies in education philosophy. 

Vietnamese parents want their children to study at university, believing this is the only way for them to get good jobs.

Educators repeatedly recommend parents not to force children to begin studying too soon, Vietnamese parents are practicing both skills with their children aged 4-5. Many children know all letters of the Vietnamese alphabet and can count and write the numerals from zero to 100 before they enter the first grade.

The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) prohibits teaching of reading and writing before the first grade, but parents ignore the advice.

RELATED NEWS

Students, parents confused about English study requirements at HCM schools

Kids spend summer learning how to read and write before entering first grade

Thanh Mai