Vietnam, UK eye stronger education cooperation

Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long speaks at the workshop (Photo: VNA) 

London (VNA) – A workshop to promote education cooperation between Vietnam and the United Kingdom's Cambridge University Press and Assessment (CUPA) was held on April 5 within the framework of the Vietnam Days in the UK 2022.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long emphasised that education is an important cooperation field between the two countries, and the UK is Vietnam's leading partner in this sphere, especially in higher education.

He said there remains a great potential for the two countries to expand education cooperation, especially in teaching and learning English language, skills training, high school and university education, considering the great demand for education in Vietnam.

The bilateral educational cooperation recorded positive results, he noted, saying that not only universities, but many high schools of the UK have recently signed cooperation agreements with Vietnamese education establishments, thus helping improve the quality of education in the Southeast Asian country.

The ambassador also highly valued the cooperation between Vietnam and the CUPA, expressing the hope that the partnership will be strengthened in the coming time.

Participants attending the workshop (Photo: VNA)

Francesca Woodward, Chief Executive of Cambridge Assessment English at the CUPA briefed the participants on progress of the cooperation between the CUPA and the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training over the last 15 years, including English language training, the teaching of math and science in English, and training programmes to acquire international degrees and certificates for both teachers and students. 

Woodward said that the CUPA is developing the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) training curricula in Vietnamese language, with textbooks expected to be completed in 2023 and the first IGCSE exam could be held in 2026.

She said the CUPA, with its expertise in teaching, assessment and research, can assist Vietnam in raising the education quality and standard.

Participants focused their discussion on the potential and opportunities for cooperation between Vietnam and the CUPA in English language and skill training for Vietnamese teachers;  developing and providing high school and university textbooks and training curricula for Vietnam; and assessing the quality and recognising global certifications./.