In the early years of my career, it was rare to see students achieving an IELTS score of 6.0-6.5. Nowadays, many students attain IELTS scores of 8.0-8.5 while still in middle school, or even elementary school.
This remarkable improvement highlights how Vietnamese students are mastering English at a younger age compared to previous generations, thanks to a shift in perception, advancements in teaching and learning methods, and increased exposure to English through media and society.
The English proficiency of the Vietnamese population could see further significant improvement with the government’s new policy to gradually make English the second language in schools. This decision by the Politburo could lead to new language policies that enhance Vietnam’s integration into the global community and drive stronger national development.
A nation’s language policy, including its foreign language policy, is a critical choice that impacts its developmental direction, economic opportunities, cultural identity, and the success of its education system. Vietnam can learn from various cases of success and failure in other countries.
In countries like the UK, the USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland, which are considered “native English-speaking” nations, there are still linguistic minority communities or immigrant populations. Their English teaching approaches for these groups mainly aim to assimilate them into English as the primary or official language. An exception is Canada, where the government has a more balanced bilingual policy, with English-speaking provinces teaching French and French-speaking provinces like Quebec teaching English. Many of the countries that are bilingual today have a history closely linked to the global influence of the British or American empires, including former British colonies, where English is naturally used as a linguistic legacy.
Countries near Vietnam, such as Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, India, and the Hong Kong territory, have populations highly proficient in English. This model is similar to Vietnam’s reality, being part of the Francophone community, with a generation that was once fluent in French.
In many European countries like Sweden and the Netherlands, people are highly proficient in English, often achieving near-bilingual status.
There are various approaches to incorporating English into national language policies. Some countries have chosen English as an official language, others have adopted bilingualism, while some teach English as part of the national curriculum or as a foreign language subject.
Since its founding, Singapore has chosen English as a lingua franca among its Chinese, Malay, and Indian communities. Today, Singaporean students study in English, take O-level exams (equivalent to the UK’s GCSE), and complete their secondary education with A-level exams similar to students in the UK.
Singapore is a success story in using English as a tool to reach out to the world, becoming a global city, and attracting many multinational corporations to set up their offices in Asia. The success and prosperity of Singapore have many causes, but certainly, this small country would not have achieved its global position without English, even though they still speak it with their unique “Singlish” accent.
Malaysia, on the other hand, used English as the language of instruction in schools for a long time, then switched to Malay, and later returned to using English. This shift sparked debates. One side argued that not using English as the medium of instruction in schools weakened the English proficiency of students and the population at large. Conversely, the other side feared that English would erode the national language, identity, and pride. Recently, the Malaysian Ministry of Education implemented the Dual Language Program (DLP) to balance these concerns.
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Adapted from: Bui Khanh Nguyen (vnexpress.net)
