On January 14, 2023, the final round of the ILA Speak up 2022 English arena was successfully held at the Opera House, after nearly 4 months of organization.
The contest had the participation of: Associate Professor – Dr. Vu Thi Tu Anh – Deputy Director General of Continuing Education Department – Ministry of Education and Training; Mr. Duong Tri Dung – Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training. Ho Chi Minh City; Ms. Pham Hoang Uyen – Cambridge University Examination Director for Southeast Asia – Pacific; Mr. Derek Spafford – Director of Professional Development for Asia at MacMillan Education; Mr. Jonathan Bird – Training Director, educational organization ILA Vietnam; Mr. Todd Bierbaum – Training Director of OLA English system, under the educational organization ILA Vietnam; Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich – Executive Director, educational organization ILA Vietnam.
Associate Professor – Dr. Vu Thi Tu Anh
Speaking at the opening of the contest, Associate Professor – Dr. Vu Thi Tu Anh said: “Representing the Ministry of Education and Training of the country, I would like to emphasize the importance of language education for the development of Vietnamese students. countries in expanding their communication potential, connecting globally. Expanding our knowledge, learning to communicate in other languages, and discovering new cultural horizons are not only the benefits of language learning, but also the foundation on which we perform our roles. Congratulations to all the contestants who made it to the finals today and wish you every success.”
Greater Voice – Greater Impact
Speak up is an annual academic English arena organized by the ILA Education Organization since 2018, for candidates from 6 to 16 years old, divided into two groups: Super Juniors (6-11 years old) and Smart Teens (11-16 years old).
This year, the contest brings the theme “Greater Voice – Greater Impact” so that students can use their voices to create positive influences that contribute to changing people’s perceptions, which is the key to unlocking their potential. students’ abilities and futures. The contest is also the journey of self-improvement and daily growth of ILA students.
Speak up 2022 attracted more than 4,000 contestants nationwide, including 3 rounds. In the first two rounds, the contestants showed their thoughts and knowledge on close but influential topics such as: The power of thanks and apologies, Ideal Models, Recycling or Recycling. Technology and the environment.
After two rounds of competition, the 36 best national contestants showed up to participate in the final round.
Revealing excellent English faces with deep understanding
Super Juniors contestants take the knowledge round
To be able to pass the exams, candidates must not only be good at English but also need to be able to present, react quickly – be flexible, knowledgeable and have critical thinking. In the final round, 36 contestants from 2 groups, each group of 18 children divided into groups of 6 continued to compete in English through 3 rounds:
In the first round of the knowledge test, there are 10 questions, including 5 questions that ring the bell to win the right to answer and 5 questions to write the answers on the board. The themes of the two panels revolve around cultural, social, environmental and technological knowledge. After the knockouts in each group, the 12 children of the two groups advanced to the next round.
Super Juniors group debate round
In the second round of the debate, each Super Juniors contestant had one minute to debate. 6 Super Juniors contestants gave their opinions on the topics that Video games are harmful to children, Robots will replace humans in the future and Students should have their own smartphones.
Meanwhile, 6 contestants of the Smart Teens panel, each child has 4 minutes to debate the topic that students do not have to wear uniforms; It is healthy for young people to compare themselves with friends and Study Abroad becomes more successful.
Smart Teens Board Debate Round
In this round, each group has 2 children eliminated, 4 children continue to enter the presentation round to compete for first, second and third prizes.
Within 2 minutes, 4 Super Juniors contestants presented on the topic: “If you could create a new technology to help people in the future, what would it be?”. Nguyen Nhat Duong gave an impressive presentation on solutions to air pollution: “I want to introduce new technology for the future, Tree-viCAR. This type of vehicle does not use gasoline but carbon dioxide (CO2) and emits oxygen. If this idea comes to fruition, it will reduce air pollution. For every model of Tree-viCAR produced, we will plant a tree, thereby increasing the amount of oxygen so that we can breathe more easily.” And I won the title of Super Juniors champion.
A special feature of Nhat Duong is that she lives in Hai Phong, her parents do not accompany her to the city. HCM. But not because of that, Nhat Duong lacks confidence. She demonstrated her native pronunciation skills and confidently presented on stage in front of more than 400 audiences.
And the champion of Smart Teens table belongs to Nguyen Phuc Duyen. With the theme “If you could start a business to help people in the future, what would it be?”, in 3 minutes, Phuc Duyen surprised the audience with a concise presentation, concise: “I will open a virtual reality resort that includes many rooms to create a 4-dimensional space that is no different from real life. These rooms will have various themes including mountains, rivers, lakes… with outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, picnicking… This not only heals people’s relationships but also reduce the exploitation of natural resources to develop tourist areas”.
Duyen said, I was very surprised because I won the first prize. I used to participate in Speak up 2020 and then only stopped in the 2nd round of the final. This time, I aim for 2nd or 3rd place and I don’t think I will get 1st. The award has made me proud of myself and confident that I can do things that I never thought I would achieve.
High-quality candidates, professional organization
Two winners and runners-up ILA Speak up 2022
Mr. Duong Tri Dung – Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City, said: “The Department of Education and Training is very interested in comprehensive educational activities for the city’s students. I am very impressed with ILA’s competition in recent years, both contributing to students learning the English language and understanding social issues. Through it, they catch up with life information, helping them in their behavior and activities in class.”
Derek Spafford, MacMillan’s Regional Director of Professional Development for Asia, commented on the contestants: “It’s hard to speak fluently in front of a crowd in your first language, speaking in a second language is even more difficult. Therefore, it is amazing that the candidates can speak English fluently, especially at a young age. The quality of the contestants was high, so we had a hard time choosing the champion. Therefore, we score based on 4 criteria: time management skills, presentation, critical thinking and English proficiency, and confidence on stage.”
4 children won 3rd place in two groups Super Juniors and Smart Teens
“I was very impressed with the 36 contestants today. By this round, it can be said that all 36 contestants are worthy. All are excellent. Primary school children are very natural, stylish and have standard pronunciation. Meanwhile, middle school students are very mature, have broad social knowledge, and show mastery of knowledge, not a performance. Each of you has its own points and one thing in common is speaking very standard English. I think this is the preparation for a new generation of global citizens of ILA. I hope the contest will continue to be held every year and how this format can be broadcast on television so that more students can participate,” said Associate Professor – Dr. Vu Thi Tu Anh.
Ms. Pham Hoang Uyen – Cambridge Examinations Director for Southeast Asia – Pacific, member of the jury, commented on the contest: “The contestants showed the audience that they are not only good at English. but also very confident, have extensive knowledge of social and current issues. Sometimes the children have very childish expressions, but when they answer the questions, they are mature, confident and clear. I have been a judge of Speak up for 2 seasons and every time I am impressed with the methodical, professional and grandiose organization of ILA. ILA is a place that can create global citizens with comprehensive knowledge and skills. I hope that ILA will create playgrounds for not only ILA students but all young people of Vietnam.”
Review of Mr. Ngo Di Lan – Full PhD scholarship at Brandeis University (USA), Secretary General of the Vietnam Youth Program Simulation United Nations and Founder of Vietnam Youth Cooperation Organization (VYCO) ), member of the jury, after the competition: “I was very impressed with the English speaking ability of the contestants. I have lived abroad and found that there are local young people who cannot speak English confidently and eloquently. I think the contestants should be proud of themselves.
I was impressed with the first place in the Super Juniors group. Right from the coaching session, I have seen your ability to use English. You are both confident, have very good pronunciation and know how to mix words well.
I found the sections to be much more difficult than I imagined, but you guys prepared very well. Regardless of whether you won the first prize or not, you did a great job on your part. More importantly, your attitude is very professional and constructive, even if you don’t win the first prize, you still congratulate each other, have fun, and have a healthy competition. That is the spirit we need to encourage them from an early age.”
The contest ended in a positive resonance of faith and hope. It is the belief in a talented, passionate young generation who dares to commit to big dreams to become a global citizen.
PRIZES
The contest prizes include two first prizes, each of which is a summer study abroad trip in the US for 3 weeks (worth 190 million VND); The 2 second prizes each are a 10-day summer study abroad trip to Singapore and Malaysia (worth 80 million VND) and 4 third prizes, each of which is an ILA 2023 summer course (worth 35.3 million VND).
1st – 2nd – 3rd Prize OF TWO TABLES
Smart Teens Board
- First prize: Nguyen Phuc Duyen – ILA Vo Thi Sau, Bien Hoa
- Second prize: Truong Duc Trong – ILA Thu Dau Mot
- Third prize: Luong Luu Hong Phuong – ILA Phu Lam
Huynh Tu Ngan – ILA Phu Lam
Super Juniors board
- First prize: Nguyen Nhat Duong – ILA Hai Phong
- Second Prize: Do Le Nguyen Khoi – ILA Nguyen Cu Trinh
- Third prize: Ho Ngoc Phuong Uyen – ILA Nguyen Dinh Chieu
Pham Tien Thuan – ILA Nguyen Cu Trinh
