Abstract:

At the critical juncture of globalisation, teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to young learners has gained its privilege in language education, which has disseminated language policies to respond to transformational demands in Vietnam. Nevertheless, there have been ethical concerns in the implementation of foreign language policy in the primary sector. This presentation aims to address contextual obstacles encountered by primary English teachers (PETs) in the course of their EFL policy enactment at primary levels in Vietnam’s rural and remote areas. Collected from multiple sources including document analysis, survey, and interviews, the data suggested that there has been a lack of alignment between the current primary EFL policy and reality in some rural areas in Vietnam. PETs faced multilayer challenges that stem from social and cultural factors of the remote areas. By highlighting the ethical issues of EFL education, this study also proposes the possible implications for stakeholders to take into account to support PETs, particularly for those working in rural and remote areas in non-native English countries.

Keywords:

English as a foreign language, policy, primary, rural, remote.