Ho Chi Minh City wants to promote English learning for preschool children

Ho Chi Minh City has determined that the successful implementation of English for preschool children will contribute to improving the quality of preschool education, preparing basic language skills for children before entering primary school, and implementing the motto of making English the second language in schools.

Today (August 19), the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City held a conference to summarize the 2024-2025 school year and deploy preschool education tasks for the 2025-2026 school year. Here, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City said that recently, the organization of children to become familiar with English has continued to be implemented at preschools in the city according to Circular No. 50/TT-BGDDT of the Ministry of Education and Training. However, many independent group classes have not done this task well.

Ms. Le Thuy My Chau, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, spoke at the conference.

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

There are still 2,235 independent classes that have not introduced preschool children to English.

By the end of the 2024-2025 school year, the city has 2,093 out of a total of 4,942 preschools organizing English classes for children. Of these, public schools account for 632/1,280 schools (the rate in the old Ho Chi Minh City is 92.1%; the old Ba Ria - Vung Tau province is 80.3%; the old Binh Duong province is 100%).

The whole city has 603 non-public schools out of a total of 1,147 non-public schools organizing English classes for preschool children (52.57%).

Notably, only 858 out of 3,093 independent classes in Ho Chi Minh City introduce preschool children to English (27.74%).

There are 3,900 teachers participating in organizing English lessons for preschool children, including 2,883 Vietnamese teachers and 1,017 foreign teachers.

Statistics on the number of preschool children exposed to English in preschools by the end of the 2024-2025 school year

PHOTO: HCM CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training stated that data shows that the introduction of English to preschool children in Ho Chi Minh City is uneven, focusing on public schools; the rate in private independent classes is still low.

One of the difficulties in the process of introducing English to preschool children comes from regulations on teachers. According to Circular No. 50/2020/TT-BGDDT of the Ministry of Education and Training, native teachers and foreign teachers must have a certificate of preschool pedagogy to be allowed to teach. However, up to now, there has been no training course to issue certificates.

Ms. Luong Thi Hong Diep, Head of Preschool Education Department, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

Digital transformation application in English familiarization and assessment of 3-6 year old preschool children

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training proposed to the Ministry of Education and Training to issue a support policy for non-public teachers to attract preschool teachers to stay in the industry for a long time, and to support private independent groups and classes facing difficulties in equipping facilities, tools, equipment, and management software to meet the implementation of digital transformation.

At the same time, the Department will also recommend that the Ministry consider adjusting Circular No. 50/2020/TT-BGDDT dated December 31, 2020, creating more favorable conditions for native teachers and foreign teachers to participate in organizing English for children.

Preschool children in a bean planting activity, they talk in English with foreign teachers and in Vietnamese with Vietnamese teachers

PHOTO: THUY HANG

Speaking at the conference, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Lan, General Director of EMG Education, said that in the context of globalization and the need to improve the quality of comprehensive education, equipping preschool children with basic skills, especially language skills, has become an inevitable need. Introducing preschool children to English contributes to forming a solid foundation for learning foreign languages at the next levels of education, meeting the direction of gradually making English the second language in schools according to Conclusion No. 91-KL/TW dated August 12, 2024 of the Politburo .

Ms. Le Thuy My Chau, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, affirmed that the 2025-2026 school year is a special year when the education sector operates under the official mechanism of operating two-level local governments nationwide and reorganizing provinces and cities. The consolidation of resources, expansion of school size, teaching staff and areas requires flexible and creative adaptability of the entire sector.

Ms. Chau suggested that the People's Committees of wards and communes complete the management model, promote the effectiveness of digital transformation to create a public and transparent management system. Preschools across the city need to strengthen coordination regulations, promote the application of information technology to coordinate with local authorities, and ensure absolute safety for children.

Preschool children participate in a survey to assess their English familiarity using a tool recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training.

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

Ms. Luong Thi Hong Diep, Head of the Preschool Education Department, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, emphasized that one of the key tasks in the 2025-2026 school year at the preschool level in the city is that facilities continue to seriously implement the English familiarization program for preschool children to meet the requirements and the voluntary participation of children's families, support language development, and best familiarize children with English; coordinate the implementation of the integrated English program; continue to pilot the survey to assess the familiarization of English for preschool children according to the needs at preschool education facilities.

Recently, many public kindergartens in Ho Chi Minh City have organized a pilot survey to assess English familiarity for preschool children according to parents' needs.

Many public kindergartens still have small areas.

According to statistics, up to now, the whole of Ho Chi Minh City (after the merger) has more than 5,000 preschools, 521,552 children; the total number of managers, teachers, and staff in the 2024-2025 school year is 64,962 people. One of the difficulties of preschool education in Ho Chi Minh City in the past school year was that many public preschools were taken over from private houses, were in the form of townhouses, had no land area to renovate and expand the facilities, arrange outdoor playgrounds for children, many small facilities encountered many difficulties in management. In addition, many non-public preschools operated unstably. During the year, 14 independent preschools were dissolved or ceased operations; 4 preschools were dissolved.

Some independent preschool groups and classes are still limited in applying information technology in management, organizing teaching and educational activities and implementing the preschool education program. There is no electronic information portal connecting to the common data axis, leading to difficulties in information management...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tphcm-muon-thuc-day-viec-hoc-tieng-anh-cua-tre-mau-giao-18525081911014326.htm