Proposing a set of textbooks that are not trendy

TP - At the recent meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee to give opinions on the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Education Law, there was a proposal to the Ministry of Education and Training to compile a unified set of textbooks nationwide. However, this opinion is not convincing.

Must put the interests of students first

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Khac Dinh said that there must be a common set of textbooks compiled by the Ministry of Education and Training . According to the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, this content has been the subject of supervision by the National Assembly Standing Committee on the implementation of Resolution 88/2014 and Resolution 51/2017 of the National Assembly on the innovation of general education programs and textbooks. At the same time, this is also in line with the spirit of Resolution 88, which states that there must be a common set of textbooks compiled by the Ministry of Education and Training, in addition to many other sets.

Speaking to reporters, National Assembly delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Nga said that the proposal of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society is noteworthy in the context of the 2018 general education program having just finished changing textbooks. This is an issue directly related to the previously established orientation of "one program, many textbooks", so it is easy to cause concern in public opinion.

Ms. Nga said that, first of all, it is necessary to clearly recognize that one program, many textbooks is a progressive policy, overcoming the limitations of the monopoly mechanism of book compilation. This policy opens up the possibility of diversifying approaches, encouraging innovation in teaching, while ensuring the right to choose of schools and teachers. Although the implementation in recent years has had many problems (from book quality, book prices, to the difference in implementation conditions between regions), this is still a step in line with the trend.

Ms. Nga affirmed that the proposal to compile a common set of textbooks does not necessarily deny the orientation of multiple books. It can be understood in the direction that the State plays a leading role, compiling a set of standard books with high legality, to serve as a unified "framework" for teaching nationwide. Other sets of books, if any, will promote creativity and supplement, helping teachers have more rich sources of reference. "Thus, instead of "one program, many textbooks" becoming "one program, one single book", the orientation can evolve into "one program, one standard set of books - many supplementary documents". This is a way to reconcile the necessary unity and inherent diversity", Ms. Nga said.

Students study textbooks according to the 2018 education program. Photo: NHU Y

According to delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Nga, if choosing this option, a careful roadmap is needed, not causing too much disruption too quickly; at the same time, the quality of the standard textbook set must be ensured - it must be a carefully compiled product, reflecting the spirit of innovation, with the wide participation of scientists, education experts, and practical teachers.

Ms. Nga shared that this adjustment does not go against the direction of “one program, many textbooks”, but could be a step to perfect the policy. The issue is that the implementation must be scientific, public, transparent and put the interests of students, teachers and schools first.

Do not return to textbook monopoly

Mr. Dinh Van Tan, Principal of Xuan Dam Primary and Secondary School, Hai Phong, said that a program with many textbooks has the advantage of giving teachers more reference materials and more variety in designing lessons. “The most important thing is the overall program, the goals that need to be achieved must be standard. Textbooks are only for reference purposes. Therefore, there may be many sets of textbooks or no set of books. At that time, digital learning materials will develop, aiming at self-study for students,” said Mr. Tan.

The goals of the 2018 general education program will not be achieved if teachers return to following every word in a set of textbooks; exams only use knowledge from this set of books to evaluate learning outcomes; students form the habit of thinking to achieve the goal with only one path. "This is not the educational model we are aiming for," said Associate Professor Bui Manh Hung.

Ms. Nguyen Phuong, a literature teacher in Hanoi, said that the special feature of the literature subject in the 2018 general education program is that textbook data is not used in the exam. A variety of textbooks helps students have the opportunity to access many texts, materials, and works that have been selected by the compilers to have meaning and value. This is a very good channel for students to refer to.

Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Manh Hung, former chief coordinator, 2018 General Education Program Development Board of the Ministry of Education and Training, member of the Vietnamese Language and Literature Program Development Board, said that Resolution 88 of the National Assembly to proactively implement the 2018 education program, requires the Ministry of Education and Training to compile a set of textbooks. This set of textbooks is equal to other sets of books compiled by other organizations and individuals to prevent textbook shortages.

But up to now, after implementing a textbook replacement cycle, the worry of not having enough textbooks for all subjects no longer exists even though the Ministry of Education and Training has not compiled them. Therefore, at this time, it is not necessary to have a set of textbooks compiled by the Ministry of Education and Training. If this set of books appears, it will lead to a series of consequences related to the socialization of education. That is, the efforts of thousands of billions of VND of organizations and individuals investing in compiling textbooks, gathering authors to write quality textbooks are at risk of being eliminated. More importantly, there is a risk of returning to the old model that the world has long abandoned.

Some people say that there is one set of textbooks from the Ministry of Education and Training and other sets of textbooks are still in circulation. That is true in theory, but the reality is very different. Because of the general mentality that textbooks from the Ministry of Education and Training will be better and more standard, localities will only choose this set of books. The policy of one program with many textbooks will go bankrupt, and at that time, the Ministry of Education and Training will have to answer the question of which unit will publish this set of books, and how to prevent monopoly in publishing textbooks.

Eliminate the status of "uniformed citizens"

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son also expressed his views on the proposal to have a set of textbooks for use nationwide. According to Mr. Son, since the 2020-2021 school year, the Ministry has implemented the new curriculum and textbooks according to the provisions of the 2019 Education Law and schools have organized the implementation, initially bringing about effectiveness.

The Politburo has issued conclusion 91/2024 to continue implementing Resolution 29/2013 of the Central Executive Committee on fundamental and comprehensive innovation of education and training. It clearly states the task of continuing to perfect and effectively implement the new general education program; implementing a unified general education program nationwide, each subject has one or several textbooks and socializing the compilation of textbooks...

Students choose to buy textbooks before the new school year. Photo: NHU Y

The Ministry of Education and Training affirms that for general education, if all students learn the same content and teaching methods according to a uniform educational model, it will cause major consequences for human resources - not meeting the requirements of socio-economic development in an era of rapid scientific and technological development.

As a result, many countries have abandoned this uniform education model. The consequences include: Training “uniform citizens” who lack critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, creativity skills, and collaboration skills to solve complex, unprecedented problems in life.

This model limits the development of each individual's talent, because there is no differentiation of students based on their abilities and learning needs. General education using only one set of textbooks is imposing, undemocratic, and does not empower schools and teachers to be proactive and creative.

Each country has different economic, social, cultural, ethnic regions... so one set of textbooks is not reasonable.

Furthermore, a set of textbooks chaired by the State leads to the State-assigned publishing house creating a monopoly. The Ministry of Education and Training only issues the framework program, the textbook compiler adds teaching content, leading to the mindset of considering books as laws and being viewed as a specific educational program.

One program, one set of textbooks, one method leads to one of the main consequences of training "uniformed citizens".

Source: https://tienphong.vn/de-xuat-mot-bo-sach-giao-khoa-khong-hop-xu-the-post1770713.tpo