Schools that designate English as Foreign Language 1 would teach it from grade 1 alongside Vietnamese, math, ethics, nature and society, physical education and the arts, under a draft revision of the General Education Program that the Ministry of Education and Training has put out for public comment until Aug. 29.
The subject would run 70 periods a year in grades 1 and 2 and 140 periods in grades 3 through 5.
Students could also take electives including ethnic minority languages or another foreign language.
English is compulsory only from grade 3 at present, though schools with the classrooms and teachers to support it may already offer two periods a week from grade 1 as an elective.
Across a 35-week school year, the proposed 70 periods work out to two periods a week.
