On 7 September 2021, representatives from 140 UK and Vietnamese English language teaching (ELT) organisations gathered virtually to learn about a series of available partnership and consultancy opportunities designed to contribute to the ongoing development of ELT across Vietnam over the next few years.
This follows an event in June, when MoET, the National Foreign Languages Project and British Council held a ceremony to sign a collaboration plan for the next year, with a vision for the next four years. The collaboration plan outlines a series of research areas, activities and resources all designed to support NFLP in its ambition to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment of English in Viet Nam.
The Annual Collaboration Plan signals exciting prospects ahead (next 3-4 years and beyond) in four key activity areas:
- research and insight – Ensuring a strengthened evidence base can inform policy and decision making and support specific interventions aimed at improving English language teaching, learning and assessment systems.
- engaging with stakeholders in both VN and the UK – Increasing our contribution to and dissemination of relevant research and insight between Vietnamese and UK partners. We shall also enhance our contribution to thought leadership in ELT through conferences, policy dialogues and symposia aimed at policy and decision makers, academics, teacher educators and teachers themselves.
- capacity building and CPD – Improving access to evidence-based, quality digital, blended and face-to-face CPD programmes and Communities of Practice (CoP) for both teacher educators and teachers across Viet Nam, resulting in improvements in English language teaching, learning and assessment systems.
- curriculum, resources and assessment – Offering improved access to better-quality, teaching and learning resources, especially online, that help improve teacher language levels and student learning outcomes.
Following the signing of this collaboration plan, this latest event launched forthcoming opportunities for both UK and Vietnamese ELT and EdTech providers to partner and collaborate for ELT development in Viet Nam’s education system, with four key opportunities:
- A research grant into the online provision of digital teaching and learning resources in Vietnam with a focus on ensuring that there is equitable provision of digital resources and access to online learning for both teachers and learners
- A research grant to investigate the provision of English language assessment and testing (including online and automated provision) to ensure fairness and inclusivity
- A network of pilot Teacher Activity Groups (Communities of practice) to support continuing professional development for primary, lower and upper secondary teachers across five provinces, in collaboration with Vietnamese universities and DOETs
- A consultancy to work with MOET’s Higher Education Department and sector experts to develop programme standards for English language and pedagogy courses in Vietnam’s universities and colleges.
In addition to the above opportunities, over the next few months, other research and consultancy opportunities are likely to be forthcoming in order to advance the British Council and NFLP ambitions for ELT development as signed in the collaboration plan.
The British Council is now inviting applications for innovative and collaborative approaches to explore a more inclusive and accessible approach to the provision of English language teaching and learning in Viet Nam post Covid-19, which, as we all know, has had a massively disruptive effect on education systems globally, including here in Viet Nam. This highlights the need for innovative and sustainable digital solutions that can promote access to quality English education for learners, while building teacher capacity.
These opportunities will be released in the week beginning 13 September and will be considered over the next few months with successful partnerships and consultancies announced by November 2021. For further information, check out our website, email digitalinnovation@britishcouncil.org.vn or contact EES Academic Manager davideg.gilmartin@britishcouncil.org.vn or EES Project Manager nga.le@britishcouncil.org.vn.