QSI International School of Haiphong has established its leading position in education in Hai Phong City after 18 years of operation. By providing international education standards and high education quality, it also helps enhance the competitiveness and elevate the position of Hai Phong City. Vietnam Business Forum’s reporter interviewed Mr. Daniel Thomas Owen, Director of QSI Haiphong, about its achievements.
QSI Haiphong provides an educational environment that meets international standards for its administrators, teachers and learners
You have recently assumed your current position at QSI Haiphong. How have you acquainted yourself with Hai Phong and Vietnam in this short period of time?
I have been working for QSI for 16 years and have had the opportunity to work at four QSI schools in different countries: Almaty - Kazakhstan, Dongguan - China, Bratislava - Slovakia, and Minsk - Belarus. When I was looking for my fifth destination, I applied for QSI Haiphong and was selected.
My family and I arrived in Hai Phong City in late July this year. Our impression of Vietnam matched what we had learned about it. It was remarkably captivating!
Hai Phong is a microcosm of Vietnam, with both mountains and the sea. The city has a diverse transportation system with highways, railways, international airports and seaports. It also boasts attractive and distinctive tourist destinations such as Do Son and Cat Ba. This is also an extremely dynamic and developing city with many prominent international firms.
As a History and Geography teacher, I enjoy learning about the customs, culture and landscape of the place where I live. After work, I often go jogging or cycling with my wife and my sons to explore the city. The traffic system is convenient and the roads are lined with trees.
The people of Hai Phong are very friendly and hospitable. I witnessed them practicing singing cheerful songs and performing lion dances to prepare for the Mid-Autumn Festival. I was fortunate to be introduced to this culture. Hai Phong also has a large countryside area where life is peaceful, simple but extremely wonderful. My family likes to walk around the area where we live in the evening. My son especially likes to watch snails crawling in the middle of the road, frogs jumping or fireflies flying.
The cuisine of Vietnam in general and Hai Phong in particular is truly amazing. I like to drink coffee, draft beer and iced tea on the sidewalk. That space is unlike anywhere else in the world.
When I came to Vietnam, I first spent a lot of time learning deeply about the culture and people of Hai Phong where we live. When my work is well-established, I will plan to visit some other places in Vietnam such as Sapa, Ho Chi Minh and Hoi An. After those trips, I will definitely have interesting experiences to share with friends.
QSI’s goal is to introduce the U.S.’s educational resources and update students with the latest knowledge in the world
QSI Haiphong is a leading international school in Hai Phong City. What are the distinctive features and strengths that have established the reputation of the school?
QSI Haiphong is a private, non-profit educational organization that was established in September 2005. It offers four levels of education: Preschool, elementary school, middle school and high school. QSI Haiphong follows the American curriculum and presents instruction in English. It mainly serves the children of foreign experts in Hai Phong and neighboring provinces such as Quang Ninh and Hai Duong. In addition to the regular American high school diploma, QSI Haiphong also provides AP diplomas and International Baccalaureate (IB) diplomas.
QSI Haiphong has a spacious and modern campus, with well-equipped facilities such as classrooms, libraries, science laboratories, music room, multipurpose rooms, canteens, volleyball courts, basketball courts, soccer fields, swimming pools and teaching equipment. QSI Haiphong employs excellent teachers, 75% of whom are foreign teachers (mainly from the United States, Belgium, Canada, South Korea, South Africa and the Philippines) and 25% are Vietnamese teachers and assistants. Our students represent 26 nationalities (including Vietnam).
QSI Haiphong maintains a small class size to ensure teacher-student interactions. On average, a class has less than 15 students. QSI Haiphong also emphasizes sporting activities to help students develop holistically in terms of mental, physical and talent aspects.
Besides classroom hours, QSI Haiphong’s middle and high school students participate in a week-long program called “Week without Walls”, where they study and learn about the culture of other places. They can travel to other countries, famous landmarks in Vietnam or simply places of their choice on school campus.
Moreover, QSI Haiphong’s distinctive features from other international schools are its American management team and its curriculum based on U.S. standards. QSI Haiphong is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA). After graduating, students will receive diplomas that are widely recognized around the world and they can attend universities in any country.
QSI Haiphong provides an educational environment that meets international standards for its administrators, teachers and learners. That is the strength of QSI Haiphong and we are the top choice of families who want their children to grow in an international environment.
QSI always adheres to the motto “Success for all”. Could you elaborate on this?
QSI’s educational philosophy is based on the principle: “Every student can succeed”. Success fosters success and it is the school’s responsibility to facilitate that success.
At QSI, students are encouraged to work actively, openly and collaboratively. They can express their opinions and work in groups as they wish. QSI emphasizes building a solid foundation for each student. The curriculum is designed scientifically, divided into different units and topics. Previous knowledge will support and connect with new knowledge.
In particular, QSI’s goal is to introduce the U.S.’s educational resources and update students with the latest knowledge in the world. We create the best conditions for each student to optimize their competence and creativity.
QSI regularly conducts performance-based assessments to ensure that all students are taught at an appropriate level that is both challenging and attainable. Then, depending on each student’s performance, teachers will supplement weak subjects and contents and retest until they pass.
Furthermore, QSI’s experts are always attentive and ready to advise and support students on various aspects of their lives such as study, life and dreams. This is also the basis for the school to devise the optimal and most individualized training methods for each student.
Hai Phong has much potential to attract foreign businesses, which means the demand for education of international standards will increase. How does QSI plan its expansion to welcome future international students in Hai Phong?
QSI’s target audience consists of foreign students who reside in Hai Phong with their parents, as well as motivated Vietnamese students who seek a serious education in English.
As Hai Phong City attracts more international businesses and investors, we aim to expand our scale, upgrade our facilities and human resources, and enhance our training quality to meet this goal.
However, we also need to align our plans with the actual needs of the market. QSI’s approach is to expand in phases based on demand, ensuring optimal use of resources and maintaining high standards of work and education. Therefore, we request Hai Phong agencies to support us by providing information and data on FDI investment, potential corporations and addresses that we have not yet reached.
In the future, QSI will support Hai Phong in fulfilling the requirements for world-class education and training, making the city more appealing to investors. I hope that Hai Phong will become the first destination in Vietnam for visitors from abroad.
My colleagues and I will also continue to strive to position QSI Haiphong as a leader in education in the region. We look forward to welcoming students from Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, Hung Yen or even Hanoi to study at QSI Haiphong soon.
Thank you very much!
Source: Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
October 2024
Hanoi