After nearly four months of controversy, Ton Duc Thang University has approved Aptis English certificates for graduation consideration for students.
However, the condition is that students must have another type of Aptis certificate issued by the British Council, clearly stating that this certificate is equivalent to Aptis ESOL, according to the announcement on the evening of April 28.
According to Ton Duc Thang University, this is based on an official dispatch two days earlier from the Department of Quality Management, Ministry of Education and Training. In it, the Ministry said that the British Council committed to issuing additional certificates to candidates who took the exam and were awarded Aptis certificates between November 11 and December 22, 2022.
The issued certificate has the additional line "This Aptis Candidate report has the same validity as an Aptis ESOL International Cerlificate".
Previously, more than 700 students of Ton Duc Thang University and about 100 students of the University of Electricity were in trouble because the Aptis (General) certificate issued by the British Council from November 11 to December 22, 2022 was not recognized by the school as a foreign language output standard. Students are at risk of not being considered for graduation on time or having some subjects and internship credits canceled.
The reason is that during this period, the British Council's issuance of the above certificate was inconsistent with the licensing decision of the Ministry of Education and Training. The type of certificate that this unit was licensed for was called Aptis ESOL, not Aptis (General).
However, students said that when they complained, the British Council insisted that the two certificates were of equivalent value, requiring them to work with the school themselves to get recognition. Meanwhile, Ton Duc Thang University said there was no basis, and removed the Aptis certificate from the list of recognized foreign language output standards.
After the school's announcement last night, many students at Ton Duc Thang University said they breathed a sigh of relief.
"My friends and I are very happy. We only need to ask the British Council to reissue the certificate as required to be recognized, without having to spend more money and time to take another certificate exam," said Hoang Phong, a fourth-year student.
Thanh Vy, a student of the Accounting faculty, said she will now be confident in completing her final courses to graduate on time as her Aptis certificate is recognized by the school.
"The efforts of nearly four months of knocking on doors everywhere by me and my friends have paid off," Vy shared.
Students come to the British Council office in District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, to complain about Aptis certificates, on the afternoon of February 28. Photo: Le Nguyen
Aptis is an English proficiency test awarded by the British Council since 2012, recognized in 85 countries and territories. The Aptis test is commonly known to have three versions, including Aptis General, Aptis Advanced and Aptis for Teachers.
In Vietnam, many universities recognize this type of certificate to consider foreign language output standards for students such as Hanoi National University and Hanoi University of Science and Technology.
According to the British Council, the test has now been changed to Aptis ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). This test assesses English proficiency in all four skills: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing, with levels from A1 to C2 based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The test fee is two million VND per session.
Le Nguyen
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