'International education, on-site study abroad tends to increase'

International education programs and on-site study abroad will increase sharply as the financial conditions of Vietnamese families gradually improve, according to Mr. Gilles Mahe - CEO of XCL Education.

During his time managing the group that owns the Vietnam Australia International School (VAS) system and 16 other schools in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, Mr. Gilles Mahe predicted the future trend of international education based on analysis of the "shift" of the Vietnamese market.

- In your opinion, what factors have affected the demand and changes of the international education market in Vietnam?

- I think there are two main factors leading to the formation and development of the international education segment in Vietnam.

Firstly, Vietnam’s rapid economic growth has increased the number of middle-class people. They have good incomes and higher living standards, and therefore want their children to study in a high-quality educational environment and improve their competitiveness with internationally recognized degrees.

Mr. Gilles Mahe - CEO of XCL Education Group. Photo: Provided by the character

The second factor is the development of the digital age and globalization, which has promoted the connection and interaction of many cultures and languages. This creates opportunities and challenges in the job market, requiring workers to equip themselves with knowledge and skills suitable to the requirements of the new era.

Therefore, the international joint education model has been "imported" and gradually become popular in Vietnam. This model allows domestic schools to link up and teach the educational program of another country, with the output being widely recognized degrees and certificates. The popular educational programs chosen to be taught by private schools in Vietnam are the Cambridge general program (UK) and the IB International Baccalaureate program (Switzerland).

- How will the international education market in Vietnam change in the coming time?

- Currently, Vietnam's population has reached nearly 100 million with 60% under the age of 40. Young fathers and mothers of the 8x-9x generation, especially in big cities like Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi ..., enjoy a better education than previous generations, have many opportunities to be exposed to or study and work in an environment with foreign elements. Therefore, they are more aware of educating their children with updated knowledge and important skills in the new era such as communicating in English, using digital tools, data analysis, research ...

These are the knowledge and skills found in practical subjects such as Global Perspectives, Understanding the Digital World, Economics, Business... of the Cambridge general education program.

Therefore, the demand for international education programs and the trend of "studying abroad on site" will continue to increase strongly in the coming years. In fact, the significant increase in the international school system in Ho Chi Minh City, which has just opened in the last 5 years, is the first step to meet this demand.

VAS students study with an international joint education model. Photo: VAS

- In 20 years of operation in Vietnam, what has VAS done to adapt to market changes and make a difference?

- In 2004, VAS was one of the first private schools in Ho Chi Minh City to integrate the curriculum of the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training with the Cambridge English program. Then, in 2009, we continuously improved and continued to develop to integrate the Cambridge general education program.

VAS's advantage is its 15 years of experience implementing the Cambridge general education program and its team of teachers certified by the Cambridge International Examinations Council (CAIE). The system's operators have worked for many years, have vision and experience managing large educational corporations in the world. VAS is also a strategic partner of CAIE in Vietnam.

These are the prerequisites for us to continue to develop and launch our key educational product - the Cambridge International Integrated Programme. The system fully applies core academic subjects and adds many additional aptitude subjects such as Music, Physical Education, Fine Arts, and Design.

At the same time, VAS has many other educational programs for students to develop comprehensively such as Wellbeing, Career Counseling and University Preparation, 21st Century Skills Development, Extracurricular Activities...

VAS students exchange with native teachers with international certification. Photo: VAS

- What do VAS in particular and the international education market in general need to do to continue to survive and develop in a volatile society?

- Adapt, change and constantly improve to improve quality. I believe this is the key for any industry to "resist" the waves of social change. We must always put the interests of users first, offer products that are valuable to students, and at the same time, meet expectations and fit the family's financial plan. In my opinion, these are also the factors that have helped VAS be chosen and trusted by many generations of Vietnamese families over the past two decades.

Nhat Le

VAS is offering an early registration scholarship program of up to 40 million VND; free entrance exam; up to 5% discount on annual tuition. Parents can register via hotline: 0911 26 77 55 or website www.vas.edu.vn

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