In the school year 2017-2018, Chu Van An high-school in Hanoi ran a pilot double-qualification training programme under which students received both Vietnamese and British diplomas (A-level). In this school year 2018-2019, this training programme will be run at the second public school, the Hanoi-Amsterdam High school for the Gifted. Moreover, seven secondary schools in Hanoi will also start running IGCSE programme.

Lack of standard facilities and good-quality teaching staff is the main difficulty facing Chu Van An high-school after the first year of running the pilot programme. Most of teachers for this programme worked under part-time labour contracts. Besides, many parents are concern about the heavy curriculum and are not given adequate information about the programme structure.

To support the schools in running the pilot double-qualification training programme, Hanoi Department of Education and Training (DOET) has recently signed a Memorandum of Collaboration with British University Vietnam (BUV), in which BUV will support Hanoi DOET in implementing the PGCE training programme of University of London for teachers and students who are studying at teacher training colleges in Hanoi. This will help to ensure a good resource of teachers who can teach foreign curriculum of the double-qualification programme at schools.

Read the article below for further detailed information: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/education/203250/hanoi-s-high-school-do....

Comments from Lien Ta - British Council Vietnam:
The increasing local offer of A-level/IB programmes at both private K-12 and public schools in big cities like Hanoi has made this market segment become much more competitive and challenging for UK schools and colleges in student recruitment. Although Vietnamese parents still highly value UK independent and boarding schools because of their high quality in teaching and student care, those from middle-income class apparently now have more choices. They tend to send their children to English summer camps and courses abroad during summer as a chance for their children to learn about the culture and visit schools where they they want to witness the excellent facility and a safe, enjoyable environment for their learning in the future. This explains the growth of 7% of Student Visitor visa in Vietnam in 2017. Therefore, promoting English summer programmes to Vietnamese students should be a good way for UK schools and colleges to recruit students to pathway programmes.