The report is optimistic, but local authorities say there are still obstacles.

Yesterday (December 12), the Ministry of Education and Training held a conference to evaluate the work of socializing textbook compilation in the period 2018 - 2024.

If teachers submit sample textbooks for feedback late , they will not be compensated.

The Ministry of Education and Training's report mostly presents optimistic and favorable information after five years of implementing the policy of socializing textbooks. However, localities have pointed out numerous difficulties, obstacles, and confusions encountered during the first-time application.

For example, regarding the first-time application of the regulation requiring teachers and lecturers to provide feedback on textbook drafts before approval, the Ministry of Education and Training reported 245,700 teachers and 3,120 lecturers providing feedback. However, localities expressed concerns about the quality of the feedback due to objective reasons. In its report, the Department of Education and Training of Nam Dinh province stated that the provision of textbook drafts for schools to read and provide feedback was not timely; the reading time was short, and especially, each primary school teacher had to provide feedback on 6 subjects, with each subject having 3-5 sets of textbooks, resulting in low effectiveness of the feedback.

Representatives from provincial Departments of Education and Training offered frank feedback on the socialization of textbook compilation over the past five years.

The department also pointed out that, in some subjects with practical and experimental content, publishers do not provide accompanying videos , even though the textbooks all state "observe the video," and publishers do not have the budget for teachers to provide feedback on textbooks…

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training also stated that the limited time allocated for reading textbook drafts means that if one teacher is assigned to read all the drafts for a subject/educational activity, the time is insufficient; if the task is divided into smaller parts, with each teacher reading one draft, there is no comparison or overall perspective.

Regarding textbook selection, the Department of Education and Training of Nam Dinh province also stated that some elective subjects in high schools only have one teacher (fine arts, music , technology, civics, etc.), making textbook selection prone to subjectivity. Many circulars on textbook selection are changed over the years, causing difficulties for schools as they constantly have to update and follow the new circulars. Some content in the Ministry of Education and Training's circulars guiding textbook selection is unclear (especially the regulations on subject groups for primary schools), causing difficulties in implementation.

C. SUPPLY OF TEXTBOOKS: MINISTRY SAYS IT'S NOT SLOW, LOCALITIES COMPLAIN ABOUT LACK AND DELAY.

Regarding textbook supply, the Ministry of Education and Training's report was optimistic: "In recent school years, no locality has experienced a shortage of textbooks, nor has the distribution of textbooks been delayed before the start of the new school year." However, presentations from localities contradicted this. The Department of Education and Training of Nam Dinh province stated that many students and parents still face difficulties in registering and selecting textbooks because the textbook selection committee may choose from different sets of books for each subject; the supply of textbooks from publishers is sometimes inconsistent (often lacking some textbooks from the sets chosen by students and parents).

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training stated that because each subject/educational activity has several textbooks, some parents still face difficulties when buying books, and some even buy the wrong books. The Ha Giang Provincial Department of Education and Training shared that this locality has many particularly disadvantaged communes, and a large percentage of students benefit from the policy of receiving free textbooks. However, due to complex procedures, the funds for textbook support are often unavailable before the start of the new school year. To ensure students have textbooks, the education sector sometimes has to "owe" money to the textbook suppliers, or even use funds from other sources to pay in time for students to receive their books. For some educational institutions that choose textbooks from a single set with limited quantities, suppliers have delivered textbooks later than the school year schedule, which has somewhat affected the quality of teaching and learning in the locality.

Pointing out difficulties, such as some small schools lacking sufficient teachers for certain subjects, thus failing to ensure the composition of the textbook selection committee; and the textbook research process being conducted in too short a time, Mr. Thai Viet Tuong, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Nam province, proposed that the Ministry of Education and Training amend the regulations to allow the Department of Education and Training to issue decisions approving the list of textbooks to be used in the locality; and provide guidance on the re-selection of textbooks… Mr. Tran Tuan Khanh, Director of the Department of Education and Training of An Giang province, also shared the same view, believing that this would shorten unnecessary procedures.

There are still many conflicting opinions between the Ministry of Education and Training and local authorities regarding the socialization of textbook compilation.

Photo: Jadeite

THERE ARE STILL DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT TEXTBOOKS

Regarding the organization of teaching and learning for a program with multiple textbooks, the Department of Education and Training of Nam Dinh province believes that this approach opens up many avenues for teachers and students to approach teaching content, creating conditions for teachers to promote initiative and creativity in teaching and assessment. Teachers and students have many choices in selecting textbooks during their studies to ensure suitability to local and family conditions. However, organizing teaching and learning for a program with multiple textbooks leads to concerns during examinations, surveys, competitions, and teaching demonstrations, such as difficulties in determining the scope of the program for exam questions and teaching practice. Transferring schools between localities is also difficult due to the lack of synchronization in learning from different sets of textbooks.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training noted that some content and terminology used in textbooks do not ensure continuity between subjects/educational activities. The content progression of lessons in textbooks for a single subject shows significant discrepancies between different sets of textbooks. Furthermore, the materials and images used in some textbooks are not carefully selected or simplified; some images are not focused on the main content being conveyed, and are limited in layout and space. Support for innovative teaching methods is limited, and questions exploring materials, texts, and images lack depth and effectiveness. Requirements for applying knowledge to practice are unclear; the quality of some textbook drafts is limited, even containing spelling and grammatical errors.

The number of textbook authors is three times that of the old curriculum.

According to a report from the Ministry of Education and Training, the socialization of textbook compilation has attracted a large number of chief editors, editors, and authors, totaling 2,656 authors—three times the number of authors who participated in compiling textbooks under the 2006 General Education Program. Textbooks for all subjects and educational activities have been compiled through this socialization model.

Representatives from the Vietnam Education Publishing House also highlighted several difficulties in forecasting demand and implementing the printing and distribution of textbooks compared to the old curriculum. The publishing house requested that the Ministry of Education and Training issue a plan for early evaluation to facilitate the submission of textbook drafts by authors and units. They also suggested developing a set of evaluation criteria for each subject/educational activity to better suit the current system, instead of a single set applied to all subjects.

The proposal to transfer the authority to approve textbooks to the Department of Education and Training is noted.

Concluding the conference, Mr. Pham Ngoc Thuong, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, stated that the socialization of textbooks is a new and difficult undertaking, implemented on a nationwide scale, so limitations are unavoidable. Regarding publishers, Mr. Thuong requested them to continue reviewing all stages related to textbook compilation within their authority and functions; to exercise utmost caution in editing and proofreading; to minimize intermediate steps; and to diversify distribution channels to ensure textbooks reach students and teachers correctly, sufficiently, promptly, and with appropriate quality and price; and to strengthen social responsibility by supporting textbooks for students in disadvantaged areas, remote areas, ethnic minority communities, and areas affected by natural disasters. Mr. Thuong also acknowledged the proposal to delegate the authority to issue decisions approving the list of textbooks for local use to the Departments of Education and Training and stated that this content will be considered in the upcoming review and amendment of the Education Law.

In the coming period, the Ministry of Education and Training stated that it will continue to review and supplement legal documents to create conditions for the socialization of textbook compilation and issue regulations on the maximum price of textbooks in accordance with the law on prices.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xa-hoi-hoa-sach-giao-khoa-bo-bao-cao-lac-quan-dia-phuong-noi-con-vuong-mac-185241212202041892.htm