Vietnamese school leaders welcome English-speaking requirement but seek practical training roadmap

Under the Ministry of Education and Training's Circular No. 94/2026, schools seeking to meet standards under the project to make English a second language in schools must have at least one member of their leadership team who can use English to work directly with foreigners.

The circular sets out standards and assessment procedures for implementing the project titled 'Making English the Second Language in Schools for the 2025-35 Period, with a Vision Toward 2045.'

Approved by the central government in October 2025, the project is meant to expand the use of English in teaching, learning, and other educational activities.

Support comes with pressure

School principals in Ho Chi Minh City told Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper on Wednesday that the requirement is in line with the broader trend toward international integration.

However, many acknowledged that it could pose a significant psychological challenge for experienced administrators who have to learn or improve their English-speaking skills.

A 49-year-old vice-principal at a high school in the city described the difficulty of balancing language learning with a demanding workload.

"All day at school, I am caught up in meetings, general administration, lesson-plan approvals, and meetings with parents," she said.

"In the evening, I have to open an app to practice pronunciation. It is really challenging at my age."

She added that memorizing vocabulary had become more difficult and that exhaustion sometimes made studying particularly demanding, although she continued learning for fear of falling behind.

N.T.M., principal of a middle school in the city, said she supported the push for international integration but felt considerable pressure about having to speak directly with native English speakers in enhanced English classes or during international signing ceremonies.

She said she had even paid for private tutoring at home in the evenings because she felt uncomfortable practicing in front of her colleagues.

By contrast, some schools with younger management teams have welcomed the new requirement.

They see it as a necessary incentive, arguing that school leaders who know English can motivate teachers and assess the actual quality of English instruction rather than leaving the task entirely to subject departments.

Flexible approach needed across regions

T.Q.H., a former principal of an elementary school in central Ho Chi Minh City, said the requirement that school leaders be able to communicate in English remained largely qualitative, without clear measurable standards.

He questioned what level of communication was expected and for what purposes, arguing that school administrators should be able to read and understand English materials and use the language in their daily management work.

For example, they should be able to attend international conferences, access advanced educational resources, and study modern teaching and management models for application at their schools.

The requirement for principals and vice-principals to use English is reasonable, he said, but communication should serve practical professional purposes instead of being limited to basic social exchanges.

He also warned against administrators obtaining foreign-language certificates merely to improve their credentials, despite having limited ability to use the language in practice.

In the long term, administrators at schools with favorable conditions should be encouraged to pursue reputable international qualifications, including Cambridge certificates, to promote genuine integration, he suggested.

Meanwhile, education authorities should set minimum requirements for schools facing difficulties or still adjusting to administrative mergers.

Differences in infrastructure and resources between urban and rural schools are another concern.

Ho Van Long, vice-principal of a mountainous commune school in Quang Ngai Province, central Vietnam, said schools in remote areas were already facing a serious shortage of English teachers.

Applying the requirement uniformly could place additional pressure on administrators and encourage a race to obtain certificates simply to meet formal requirements, he warned.

Practical training roadmap proposed

Requiring school leaders to work directly with foreigners represents a significant step toward greater international integration in education.

However, applying the same standards across regions with vastly different conditions could raise questions about feasibility.

Education expert Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nga said authorities should develop a practical training roadmap rather than immediately requiring principals and vice-principals to obtain foreign-language certificates.

Local departments of education and training could provide language assistants or AI-powered translation tools during the initial stage, helping school administrators gradually adapt to the new requirement.

This would prevent a progressive policy from becoming an additional administrative burden, she said.