Many of you, particularly former colleagues and our supporters, may have been wondering when I would finally write about our main job here – teaching English. We have in fact been teaching, and hard work it is. But before you can appreciate some of our experiences, it might be helpful for the gentle reader to know something about the Vietnamese system of higher education. It is very different from the American system. This posting will also usher in a new category (look to the left of this screen) – the category of Teaching and Learning in Viet Nam.
Remember the first day you went to junior high school or middle school? That was the day you no longer had the same teacher, but traveled between periods from classroom to classroom. Each teacher had his/her own room.
Not in Vietnamese higher education. The students stay in their classroom during the entire teaching day, and the teachers are the ones who come and go.
Remember starting high school? You had some subjects that were required, and others that you chose yourself – we called them electives.
Not in Vietnamese higher education. There is no such thing as an elective. If you are an English major, then all the courses are laid out for you. There are no choices. Further, you will take the courses within an assigned year. All first year students take exactly the same courses – no deviation. All third year students take exactly the same courses – no deviation. In our various English language courses, there are Sections A, B, and C.
Remember high school when you had different kids in your different classes? Your best friend might have been in two of your classes, but not in the others.
Not in Vietnamese higher education. The students are assigned to a section - - and that section stays together all four years of college. Quyen and Nga will meet each other during the fall semester of their first year, and stay in the same section all four years. They will never attend classes with any other students than the ones in their section. The cohort stays the same, except for the rare few who drop out.
Of course, there is another huge difference – there is no such thing as a credit hour system. Therefore, there is no such thing as a part-time student. There is no such thing as taking only one or two courses a semester. There is no such thing as taking six years to finish a four year degree. A student either goes through the program with his/her cohort, or he fails.
Courses have names and numbers just like they do in the United States, but the numbering is quite different. As an example, I teach English for K26C. The K stands for the college, the 26 stands for the 26th class to have begun in that college (in other words, that college’s first group began 26 years ago), and the C stands for the third section of that Group 26. Because all the students take the same courses at the same time, all of them know that particular course will be a writing course. A speaking course is not taught during the second semester of the third year.
Students apply for the university of their choice just as they do in North America, and they have to pass stringent exams to gain entrance. Nationwide exams are given once a year in June and July. Admission is granted based on the scores from the exams, with higher scores needed for the more prestigious schools in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. (Saigon). Students may choose a major, but they will only be selected for a major they are qualified for based on their exam score.
Viet Nam is struggling mightily to enhance its schools, but only about 15% of faculty members hold doctorates. Many more have Master’s degrees, but it is not unusual at all to have teachers holding bachelor’s degrees teaching baccalaureate courses. Interestingly, an increasing number of teachers are going overseas to earn Master’s degrees and doctorates, usually in the UK, Australia, or the United States. Getting those slots is very competitive, and earning a graduate degree overseas is very prestigious. As more teachers matriculate overseas, the country is starting to see more of a western influence on the educational system.
Finally, the title “Professor” is reserved for the very few. It is a title conferred by the government, and recognizes some special work or service the individual has done. The regular classroom is taught by a person with the title of “Teacher.”
And, I like that title.