A teacher and her students during an English class in Nguyễn Khuyến Primary School in Đồng Nai Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Xuân

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly (NA) deputies have raised concerns about the feasibility of the target that, by 2030, at least 30 per cent of schools nationwide use English as a second language.

The topic was part of the discussion on the investment direction for the national target programme on modernising and improving the quality of education and training for the 2026-2035 period.

While NA deputies expressed support for the policy, many argued that the goal would be extremely difficult to achieve in disadvantaged areas.

They also pointed to the shortage of English teachers nationwide while additional staff would be required to teach other subjects in English.

NA deputy Nguyễn Thị Lan Anh from Lào Cai Province said it would be unreasonable to apply a single target across all localities without taking into account differences in economic conditions, infrastructure and human resources.

She noted that underprivileged areas face major barriers, including teacher shortages, limited teaching capacity, and budget constraints for purchasing and maintaining equipment.

For these areas, meeting the 30 per cent target would be highly unlikely and could reduce policy effectiveness, she said.

To ensure feasibility, she proposed differentiated targets based on regional contexts, specifically 20 per cent for extremely disadvantaged areas, 25 per cent for disadvantaged areas and 30 per cent for other regions. This figure could be set higher for urban zones.

The deputy from Lào Cai also recommended prioritising State funding for training English teachers and purchasing teaching equipment for disadvantaged regions.

The issue of teacher shortages was also highlighted by NA deputy Trần Khánh Thu from Hưng Yên Province, who stressed the need for a thorough assessment of current conditions to ensure the target is achievable.

She cited figures showing a national shortage of around 4,000 English teachers, adding that the average age of teachers in mountainous areas is 44.2, which may hinder them from adapting to new teaching methods.

According to Thu, investing in infrastructure and equipment would be inefficient if teachers cannot meet the required standards.

To address the issue, she proposed a clear implementation roadmap that prioritises investment in facilities in disadvantaged areas while also enhancing incentives to attract teachers.

NA deputy Huỳnh Thị Ánh Sương from Quảng Ngãi Province shared the same perspective, noting that infrastructure investment must go hand in hand with teacher training, as teachers play the decisive role.

She noted that teaching other subjects in English requires instructors to have strong specialised knowledge and high-level English skills.

However, the number of formally trained teachers with such qualities remains limited. This is an even greater challenge in remote areas, where it is difficult to attract qualified candidates who often have better job prospects elsewhere.

Therefore, Sương recommended adjusting the 2030 target to clearly specify teacher training outcomes, aligning with the goal of having 30 per cent of education institutions capable of using English as a second language.

NA deputy Hà Ánh Phượng from Phú Thọ Province also raised this issue, noting that teaching English as a second language is fundamentally different from teaching it as a foreign language, and that levels of language use vary significantly across regions and school levels.

Phượng stressed that disparities in education are not limited to equipment but also involve teacher quantity and quality, curriculum and learning environments. Equipment can be simply purchased but investing in infrastructure ahead of human resources can lead to wastefulness, she said.

She proposed adjusting the target in the draft to specify that by 2035, 100 per cent of preschool and general education institutions meet national standards for quality English teaching. Among them, the proportion of facilities using English as a second language must align with local conditions and the goal of educational equity. — VNS