On September 26, 2022, NovaGroup in collaboration with DEG Impulse - a subsidiary of DEG, the German Development Finance Institution announced the “Teaching English and Informatics for free for primary school students” project in south-central Binh Thuan province and the Mekong Delta’s Dong Thap province. The project will teach English and Informatics for free to 1,000 students at the Tien Thanh 1 Primary School and Tien Thanh 2 Primary School in Tien Thanh commune, Phan Thiet city, in Binh Thuan, and the Long Khanh A3 Primary School in Hong Ngu district in Dong Thap.

Starting from the 2022-2023 school year, English and Informatics have become compulsory subjects for students in Grade 3 and higher under a new teaching scheme. This presents many opportunities, as students will have the chance to be exposed to Informatics and English at an early age. However, in fact, there are still shortcomings in teaching English and Informatics as compulsory subjects at school, especially in underprivileged areas. In some localities, facilities are lacking, especially those used for English listening and speaking practice. Some families cannot afford study gear for their children, while some schools are lacking qualified English and Informatics teachers.

“Tien Thanh commune is a suburban area of Phan Thiet city, and in terms of facilities and equipment for teaching and learning, there are still some limitations, and many students still do not have access to quality teaching programs,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Boi Nhu, Deputy Director of the Phan Thiet Department of Education and Training. “The international-standard English and Informatics teaching project is extremely necessary, contributing to a positive change in the future of education and human resources in the area.”

In order to help schools and offer quality education to a new generation in disadvantaged areas and to assist with local economic, cultural, and social development, NovaGroup and DEG Impulse announced the “Teaching English and Informatics for free for primary school students” project.

Funding for the project, which is expected to be implemented in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, is nearly €400,000 ($386,200), equally divided between NovaGroup and DEG Impulse. The selected schools have limited English and Informatics teaching quality and their students have not had the opportunity to interact with standard international curricula. In addition to helping these schools improve teaching and learning facilities and equipment, the project also helps enhance the quality of English and Informatics teaching staff. Classes will officially begin on October 3.

Nova Education plays the role of a training unit while Nova College is directly responsible for implementing the teaching program. In particular, Nova Education is in charge of the appraisal of English and Informatics teaching content, thanks to its first-hand experience in developing advanced and comprehensive educational environments and training and providing young Vietnamese with knowledge, qualifications, skills, and the ability to integrate and compete globally. Nova College will supervise the process of construction and the installation of facilities and equipment to ensure they meet the highest standards.

A special mission of the project is to provide students with English learning programs under Cambridge YLE standards and Informatics programs under international IC3 Spark test standards. In addition to Vietnamese teachers, classes will also have foreign teachers, to enhance the effectiveness and authenticity of interaction and communication.

“The teachers and I hope that the project will be implemented in the school, helping students to initially form basic communication skills in English and to also apply Informatics in daily life,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, Principal of the Tien Thanh 1 Primary School in Phan Thiet. “This is also a chance for our teaching staff to improve their teaching capacity and approach international-standard methods.”

The project once again realizes the NovaGroup’s commitment to supporting education. This is also one of four focuses of the Group on improving the quality of education sustainably and encouraging the younger generation to study better, contributing to improving the teaching and learning environment in schools. It is expected that, in the future, the project will be replicated in many other localities.

Over many years, the NovaGroup has awarded thousands of scholarships to encourage outstanding students who have overcome difficulties in studying, worth tens of billions of VND in total, and helped the National University of Ho Chi Minh City’s Development Fund (2019-2022), the National Fund for Vietnamese Children, and Learning Promotion Funds in cities and provinces. Many startup programs, scientific research aids, and technology transfers to serve the community have also been implemented in many localities. Many schools have also been built and equipped with modern facilities. In particular, the Phan Thi Nhe Health and Education Development Fund and more than 1,000 scholarships for the “Teacher Nhe Scholarship” program have left a lasting impression over the past 18 years and had far-reaching impacts on each individual in the community. In the near future, the NovaGroup will build and operate the Vietnam Future School system, a free inter-school system exclusively for disadvantaged students. The first school will be built in Tien Thanh commune in Phan Thiet city, Binh Thuan province, where the NovaWorld Phan Thiet project is under construction on an area of 1,000 ha. The Group will then continue to support southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Dong Nai provinces and others.

For 60 years, DEG has been financing and advising private enterprises operating in developing and emerging-market countries. With a portfolio of around €9.2 billion, we are one of the world’s largest private-sector development financiers. As an impact and climate investor, we accompany companies that are addressing transformation and aiming to seize their opportunities. Our customers not only receive financing and advisory solutions tailored to their needs as they can build on our market knowledge, our impact and climate expertise, and our international network. In this way, we contribute together to creating more skilled jobs and local income and to improving value creation on the ground in line with the SDGs.