The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) said it would reconsider the decision on exempting students with IELTS certificates from the foreign language test at the national high school finals.

Many education experts have supported the ministry’s move, saying that it seems that people are ‘too crazy’ about English certificates, which has caused the so-called ‘IELTS rush’ in society.

In fact, opinions about the new policies applied by universities on prioritizing students with IELTS certificates still vary. Many people commented that the educational sector has become too ‘extreme’ when putting foreign language skills before professional knowledge. Meanwhile, other people argue that students must have good English skills because they have to become ‘global citizens’.

Lam Ngoc Giau, a VietNamNet reader, said universities around the world all consider IELTS as an important criterion to select students. This kind of certificate can truly reflect students’ English skills.

Vietnam’s universities appreciate students with IELTS certificates, because English skills are a requirement for university graduates.

“A student with high IELTS scores must definitely have a serious and hard study process. Therefore, it is reasonable to give privileges to students with the certificate,” Giau said.

He said that universities have launched high-quality education programs taught in English, so students must have IELTS 5.0 at least to follow the programs.

Dang Khoa, who attended high school finals last July, agrees there is no need to require students with IELTS certificates to attend the English test at the high school finals, because the students with high IELTS scores must be good at English. If the students have to attend the test, this will cause a waste of society’s resources.

According to Khoa, the recognition of certificates will bring high benefits as it encourages students to learn foreign languages in accordance with international standards, which is an important factor for Vietnam’s international integration.

“If MOET doesn’t accept IELTS certificates as the results of the English test, this will discourage students to study English,” he said. “The country will lag behind other countries in development if the young generation is bad at English."

Meanwhile, on education forums, some parents commented that society is thinking inaccurately about the significance and function of foreign languages. 

“I understand that when integrating into the world, Vietnamese youth need to have good foreign language skills,” a parent commented. “I heard that students nowadays just need to have proficient English skills to enroll in universities or any specific training courses. It is really a problem. English skills are useful, but they cannot replace professional knowledge."

“English skills cannot help people build houses and cannot cure disease,” he concluded.

Many students rush to learn English and register to attend exams for IELTS certificates though they don’t know what the certificate is for.

Ngo Thu Hang, an office worker in Hanoi, said that she just followed the crowd to learn English and regretted the time and money she spent to obtain IELTS. She has to use English in her work, but an IELTS certificate is not necessary.

“As an accountant, I wish I had used the time spent on studying English for IELTS certificate to attend refresher training courses to gather more knowledge necessary for my career,” Hang said. 

Hang believes that an IELTS certificate will be useful for those who plan to study overseas, or those majoring in linguistics.

“The time in your life is limited and you have to choose one or two things to do instead of everything,” she said.

“I am afraid that by enrolling students mostly based on their English skills, universities will lose opportunities to enroll students with good professional knowledge,” she said. “English skills alone can’t truly reflect the abilities of students”.

Thuy Nga