Underqualified Filipino teachers irk Vietnam schools

MANILA, Philippines - Schools in Ho Chi Minh City, a major metropolitan area in Vietnam, are complaining of underqualified Filipino instructors teaching English.

Vietnamese daily Thanh Nien reported on Thursday the challenges that English programs of schools face due to the lack of well-trained Filipino teachers.

"Nguyen Thi Kim Chau, a senior English teacher at Hoa Lu secondary school in District 9, said the Filipino teacher at her school only has a primary school teacher's background and uses unsuitable methods in class and has a heavy accent," the report said.

Schools in the city began hiring Filipinos, who grew up with English as second language, a couple of years ago. But recently, the educational centers found themselves not only facing discrepancies in skills of their staff but also shortage in manpower and finances.

"In late 2012 Ho Chi Minh City began to employ Filipinos to teach English at primary and secondary schools, but the program has been hit recently by lack of money and qualified candidates," the report said.

"The lack of qualified teachers has interfered with English teaching at many expensive schools which used to hire foreign teachers from language centers," it added.

The Filipino teachers, originally hired by one institution, are also asked to teach in other schools to reduce costs.

Thanh Nien reported that Filipino teachers in Vietnam receive a salary of US$2,000 a month.