VietNamNet Bridge – The way the Cambridge English curriculum is run at general schools in HCM City by EMG, a partner with the city education department, has left doubts in many parents’ minds.
The headmaster of a primary school in HCM City said every first, second and third grader has to pay $150 in monthly tuition to follow the Cambridge curriculum, and the tuition is $200 for every fourth and fifth grader. EMG, however, quotes the tuition of $180 a month on its official website.
Meanwhile, Lao Dong’s reporters said a school headmaster, who had a working session with the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) South East Asia representative in October 2011, said he total cost is about $50 per student per month.
The Cambridge English curriculum has been taught at primary schools in HCM City since 2010 and at secondary schools since 2011 through EMG Education, the authorized partner of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).
Since 2011, natural sciences have been taught in English at some high schools in HCM City. However, initially, the schools followed different curricula and ways of implementation.
The idea that a single curriculum should be applied at all schools in the city was raised at a workshop in late 2012.
At the workshop, EMG had a 40-minute presentation about the curriculum, which was then approved by the HCM City Education and Training Department.
In January 2013, the department officially decided to apply the curriculum in HCM City through EMG, which was appointed as the department’s partner.
The documents for teaching and learning would be provided by EMG at negotiable prices, and students would sit the Cambridge exams to be implemented by EMG in Vietnam.
As such, EMG is the only company implementing Cambridge’s English curriculums in Vietnam for primary, secondary and high education levels.
A teacher in HCM City, who asked to be anonymous, said EMG was the only choice as schools felt they had to follow the instructions of the city education department and its partner.
Who pays for facilities?
The Cambridge English teaching program is implemented mostly at big state-owned schools in HCM City, which have good facilities.
C, a parent whose daughter attends Le Ngoc Han Primary School, said the classrooms of the schools all were well equipped.
The necessary equipment and teaching aids such as overhead projectors and electronic boards were bought with parents’ money before the EMG/Cambridge program.
One of the requirements of the English teaching program is that classes have no more than 30 students in every class.
Therefore, a teacher said, the management board of her school has to apply a special restructuring method.
Those students who register to follow Cambridge’s curriculum are put into classes with 25-30 students, while the other students are put into classes with 45-47 students.
L, a parent, whose son is a student at Minh Dao Primary School, said this is unfair treatment which should not be allowed at state-owned schools.
“All students at state-owned schools, which receive support from the State, must be treated equally, with no discrimination,” he said.
Lao Dong