Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - English was yet again the subject with the lowest averagescore among nine subjects in the national high school exam (the first phase)this year, according to results released last week by the Ministry of Educationand Training.

Morethan 749,000 students took the English test in the first phase this year, withan average score of 4.58 out of 10, a slight increase compared to lastyear’s average of 4.36. The most common score this year was 3.4.

Asmany as 543 students or 0.07 percent of candidates scored less than one point.

Morethan 63 percent of students scored less than five points.

Educationspecialists were not surprised at the poor results, saying the scores reflectthe quality of English teaching and learning in Vietnam despite a project fromthe Ministry of Education and Training to improve the quality of foreignlanguage teaching nationwide in the 2008-2020 period.

DrPham Ngoc Thach, chairman of the management board of the Hanoi University, saidthe vast majority of students took the English test at the national highschool exam for high school graduation only. They did not need to score highfor university admission so they just targeted not scoring under one point.

DrLe Truong Tung, chairman of the management board of the FPT University, toldthe Voice of Vietnam (VOV) onlinenewspaper that the quality of teaching English depended largely on the capacityof teachers and teaching conditions. In Vietnam, English teaching and learningmethods tend to help students score high in the exam, not help them use thelanguage effectively in practice.

“Theconditions of teaching and learning English, and teacher capacity are differentin various localities. Students who score high not only learn at high schoolsbut also take extra classes and study at international or privateschools,” he said.

DrNguyen Quoc Binh, former principal of Vietnam-Germany High school in Hanoi,said the quality of teaching and learning English at high schools in manylocalities have not met practical demand. That is the main reason for the lowresults although the English test this year was seen as easier than inprevious years.

“Wehave to look at the fact that our teachers have a lot of shortcomings. Ourteaching methods remain outdated and have not caught up with modern teachingmethods. We really need an English teaching overhaul in remote areas,” he said.

Theexperts also said the design of the project for teaching foreignlanguages in the 2008-20 period has not been relevant to teachers’capacity and students’ ability. Foreign language teaching quality could not beimproved in a short time but needed changes in the primary, secondary and highschool level.

Thenational high school exam is a major event in Vietnam, with its results used todetermine whether a student graduates from high school and if they can entera college or university.

Candidateswere tested in maths, literature, foreign language, natural science (includingphysics, chemistry and biology) and social science (including history,geography and citizen education). All the tests were in a multiple-choiceformat, except for literature.

Thisyear, for the first time, the exam has been organised in two phases due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.

About867,000 candidates finished the first phase on August 10.

Thesecond phase for more than 26,000 students in COVID-19 hotspots and those inquarantine will take place on September 3 and 4./.