Don't let textbooks become a burden for families.

(NLDO) - Textbooks are becoming a burden for many families with rising costs.

The keyword "textbooks" suddenly dominated the media after a petition for the whole country to use a common set of textbooks compiled by the Ministry of Education and Training was sent by voters from several provinces before the 9th session of the National Assembly .

The conflicting opinions on the policy of “one curriculum, many textbooks” did not arise recently. It was only after a cycle of “changing textbooks” that many shortcomings began to become apparent and required a reasonable solution.

Textbooks are indispensable items for children going to school, and are the number one priority for many families when their children start a new school year. But each child going to school does not only need books! Uniforms, shoes, school bags, etc. must be purchased. Boarding fees, insurance, parent fund fees, school facility support fees, etc. must be paid. Parents who send their children to school to learn to read and write still have to shoulder many other school expenses.

The price of books under the new curriculum has skyrocketed 3-4 times compared to the old books, making parents really worried every time a new school year begins. And the reason of “large size, nice paper” pushing up the price of books by the Ministry of Education and Training a few years ago once caused a stir in public opinion.

It is necessary to review the price and usage of textbooks. Photo: Tan Thanh

After many requests to reduce book prices, last year, the reprinted textbooks adjusted their prices right before the 2024-2025 school year. Accordingly, the cover price of the book "Connecting knowledge with life" decreased by 9.6% and the "Creative Horizon" series decreased by 11.2%.

This is a good sign and we hope that textbook prices will continue to be reviewed, balanced and adjusted. On the other hand, the story of wasted books is always hot with endless discussions and endless complaints. When each school chooses a set of books, it is a reality that students cannot leave their textbooks for their acquaintances to reuse. Students who transfer schools have to buy new sets of books. High prices for books that can only be used once are truly a huge waste, while Vietnamese people have always promoted a frugal and simple lifestyle in their small daily activities: collecting old books and giving them to acquaintances.

The consequence of writing directly into textbooks is that brand new books have to be thrown away when children finish the school year. Disposable books that cannot be reused are both a waste of people's money and a waste of society. And there is also the puzzle of selling textbooks with exercise books, reference books, advanced books... but many books are left on the shelves gathering dust.

How can textbooks be reused many times, avoiding waste? I think the proposal for the whole country to use a common set of textbooks needs to be carefully considered, thoroughly reviewed, and carefully researched to come up with a comprehensive solution to the current confusing textbook problem. Don't let textbooks become a burden for poor families!

Source: https://nld.com.vn/dien-dan-dung-de-sach-giao-khoa-tro-thanh-ganh-nang-cho-cac-gia-dinh-196250801083814788.htm