Parent school choices shape development of education market

VAS can offer considerable savings on the investment in education whilst ensuring the children’s academic results with the bilingual programme

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted school choice because of the challenging economic conditions and considerations about accessing a rigid and comprehensive education during a crisis, which has altered the long-term financial planning of households.

In Vietnam, schools teaching general education are divided into three main groups: public schools; fully international schools that teach educational programmes of the world’s developed countries such as Canada, the UK, Australia, France, and the US; and bilingual international schools like Vietnam Australia International School (VAS), which combine the Vietnamese curriculum from Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and international education programmes following the teaching standards of the UK, the US, and Australia.

Tuition at bilingual schools ranges from VND150-400 million ($6,500-17,400) per year. Students taking the bilingual pathway at VAS pursue both the Cambridge AS or A Level degrees and the national degree from the MoET.

Balancing academic standards and family finances

In fact, parents’ school choices are shaping the development of the education market. A bilingual international school education is a high value choice for an increasing number of parents wishing to prepare their children to study at top universities and training programmes.

The Cambridge curriculum is the most popular choice worldwide for high-standard international education at both bilingual and fully international schools.

There are 18 schools in Ho Chi Minh City accredited as Cambridge schools, eight of which are part of VAS. VAS appears to be the top choice for parents with more than 2,000 new students enrolled each year. Notably, VAS students taking Cambridge Academic Programme (CAP) or Cambridge Academic Programme International (CAP International) can get additional national degrees to attend local universities if they choose.

Stable development and quality of education programme

A world-class education features strong curriculum, qualified teachers, and leadership by management – all of which have been evaluated objectively through years of operating experience, scale, increased enrolment, and academic results and outcomes.

VAS is currently one of the leading schools in terms of size among foreign-based schools in the southern hub with nearly 9,500 students from kindergarten to Grade 12 attending seven campuses.

VAS also possesses an exceptional advantage as an official strategic partner of the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) for carrying out the Cambridge programme. VAS students can take exams to receive CAIE degrees and certificates in accordance with their study pathways on campus without having to register through intermediaries.

VAS is still the school with the highest English contact time among Cambridge English programmes with 10-12 English classes a week in the kindergarten level, 22 lessons a week in the primary school, 23-30 classes a week in secondary school, and 38 lessons a week in grades 11 and 12.

This is also a factor that helps VAS students to consistently achieve impressive results on Checkpoint exams, the IGCSE, AS, and A Level exams.

At VAS, besides the curriculum, students are encouraged to develop their potential, cultivate rich experience through community activities and environmental projects to adapt to a new learning environment and gain advantages when applying for a scholarship.