Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education and Training Banh Tien Long has asked universities to help students improve their English so that they can use it confidently and competently by 2015.

Mr Long made the statement at a seminar held in Hanoi on December 5 with a focus on English language training for students at universities in Vietnam. The event was co-organised by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Global.

Mr Long said that to improve the quality of teaching and English language skills, universities should attach more importance to upgrading infrastructure and English teaching facilities. In addition, teachers should improve their teaching methods and their knowledge to encourage students to get involved in studying English.

Tran Thi Ha, head of the University and Post-University Department under the MOET said that universities should pay more attention to teaching English for Special Purposes (ESP). To help universities accomplish this, from now till 2010, the MoET will implement the teaching of English under four specialities including information technology, finance-banking, business administration and tourism. By 2020, universities should strive to prepare students to learn ESP in English.

General Director of the ETS, Dr Zoubir Yazid said that English teaching in Vietnam should be in accordance with international standards in future. Accordingly, universities should invite foreign experts and lecturers to teach their students. In addition, it should be a compulsory requirement that employees should hold TOEFL, IELTS or TOEIC certificates before being admitted to work at enterprises and agencies.