Studying Economics and becoming an entrepreneur in high school years at VAS

Each and every one of us are involved in economic activities on a daily basis, from balancing income and expenses to making purchases and saving money. Still, not everyone gets a chance to study the fundamental principles of economics. Noticing the crucial role of economics in real life, especially for the young generations of a developing country, VAS has added this subject to its academic programmes for students from Grade 9 to 12.

VAS students are excited to learn highly applicable social sciences

Besides Business Studies and Global Perspective, Economics has become one of the three most popular and chosen subjects in the Cambridge IGCSE programme (Grade 9-10) and the Cambridge A-Level programme (Grade 11-12).

From Grade 9, VAS students are equipped with the theory, technical economics terms and principles, and can carry out some research about the economies of various countries and their relations with each other. The Grade 10 syllabus helps students get familiar with simple economic data and analysis tools to get a reading on the actual situation of a city, country, or a region.

The academic content is upgraded in Grades 11 and 12 by introducing the elemental economic concepts including pricing system, government interference, international trade, exchange rates, employment measurement, as well as inflation and its causes and effects. The students also practice evaluating business theories, market failure, or macroeconomic policies through group assignments conducted under the guidance of Cambridge teachers.

VAS makes sure its education helps build steady economic foundations for high school students

Students will finish Grade 12 with abundant knowledge and the necessary skills to analyse problems and arguments, evaluate financial information, as well as present their ideas explicitly with a high degree of specialisation.

Encouraging startup spirit from high school

The parallel subject to Economics is Business Studies – a combination that VAS students take in their last four years of high school. For years now, the sight of small student-run startups setting up shop in the campus yard at every Friday noon to execute their business ideas has been a usual sight for VASers.

Ideas and events can go from turning a hall into a movie theatre with more than 200 seats, a game and food fair right in the schoolyard to a charged concert hosted by the students themselves. Most of the profit earned from these entrepreneurial activities is donated to orphanages to raise underprivileged children. The resulting plethora of practical experiences is a challenging and exciting part of the subject.

Students can learn to set up a startup through small business projects at school

Business Studies provides students with chances to experience the critical activities of a firm including human resources management, marketing, production, operation, and financial management as well as project management and strategic management. Here, students will play the role of entrepreneurs, plan out business models and present them to teachers – the investors – to convince them to fund their business (the same format as the TV show Shark Tank).

Through these practical activities, students will develop leadership skills, presentation skills, and negotiation skills as well as get the opportunity to become "entrepreneur interns" with small business projects at the school.

In comparison with the Vietnamese curriculum offered by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), the Cambridge International Academic Programme gives students early exposure to a wide range of social science subjects which are highly applicable, such as Global Perspectives, Business Studies, and Economics. Thanks to the versatile and encompassing theoretical education and the ample hands-on experience right at school, students can discover their career path that best fits them and confidently apply their knowledge in higher education and in life.