Teacher shortage looms as English becomes compulsory from 1st grade

On hearing that English will become a mandatory subject starting from Grade 1, Nguyen Thi Binh Minh, principal of Thang Long Primary School in Hanoi, is excited about the opportunity to strengthen her students' foreign language foundation.

"Young students are like blank sheets of paper, so they can absorb knowledge very quickly."

But she is worried about how to recruit enough teachers to make this possible.

To ensure correct pronunciation and natural intonation, teachers must have solid expertise and professional training, but the low incomes make teaching jobs unattractive to young people proficient in English, she says.

At Binh Minh, some teachers with temporary contracts used to earn just VND5 million (US$190) a month, and most resigned after around two years, even those who had been made permanent staff.

Minh says: "They said the salary couldn't cover living costs. English teachers have plenty of job options like teaching IELTS for instance, which can bring in around VND2 million per class."

The principal of another primary school in Hanoi, who asked to be identified only by her first name, Ha, agrees.

She says her school has two English teachers responsible for 40 classes from grades 3 to 5, and they "run at full capacity" every week, exceeding the standard 23 teaching periods, she says.

If English becomes compulsory for grades 1 and 2 as well, the school will need an additional five to six teachers.

"It’s great for students to learn English from grade 1, but it will be extremely difficult with our current human resources."

English will become a mandatory subject from grade 1 as a second language in schools nationwide by 2030.

By 2030 at least 20% of schools are expected to meet level-1 teaching standards, 5th highest.

But with 50,000 schools with about 30 million students, the Ministry of Education and Training estimates there will be a shortage of 12,000 English teachers at the preschool level and 10,000 at the primary level by that year, and at least 200,000 teachers will need to be retrained.

English is already the hardest subjects to recruit teachers for.

In Ho Chi Minh City alone, before it was merged with Binh Duong and Ba Ria – Vung Tau provinces in June this year, primary schools lacked 1,129 English teachers but could only fill about 75% of those positions.

What can be done

Associate Professor Dr. Bui Manh Hung, chief coordinator of the 2018 general education curriculum development committee, says teacher-training universities need to immediately expand enrollment in English courses.

Huy, principal of a primary school in Ho Chi Minh City, suggests instead recruiting English-language graduates and training them in pedagogy.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thanh Nam, vice principal of the University of Education under the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, suggests hiring native speakers to teach first and second graders after giving them cultural and pedagogical training.

He says if enough cannot be recruited, online classes, with one teacher teaching multiple schools remotely, is an option though a classroom facilitator to provide direct guidance to young children will admittedly be needed.

He also suggests using AI tools to help teachers prepare lessons and guide students in pronunciation.

On the policy front, the Ministry of Education and Training plans to introduce a salary hike of VND1–2 million a month.

The Politburo's Resolution No. 71 on achieving breakthroughs in education and training calls for raising teaching allowances for primary teachers to two to three times the current rate.

Educators hope the new salary and allowance policies will help retain teachers and attract new ones.

Referring to the English curriculum for grades 1 and 2, Hung calls for adopting the existing optional English program already used at several schools in HCMC and Hanoi.

In the first two years students, with two classes a week suggested, mainly get familiar with the language and practice communication through interactive activities supported by technology.

Huy agrees, admitting designing an English program for first and second graders is challenging since reading and writing could confuse children when their Vietnamese literacy is still developing.

In HCMC's pilot programs, first and second graders learn English mainly through physical activities, games, songs, and storytelling.

Huy says: "The curriculum content and teaching methods need standardization. The duration must also be consistent — too little, and it’s just superficial; too much, and it becomes overwhelming."