Textbooks should be free, but effective and economical.

Using the budget to provide free textbooks by lending them to students through the school library is considered the most appropriate approach.

Many argue that directly distributing textbooks to each student, then discarding them and providing a new set the following year, is wasteful. However, with the development of technology and artificial intelligence (AI), the Ministry of Education and Training should also research gradually replacing textbooks with digital ones according to a roadmap.

Free textbooks are the first step towards creating uniformity and consistency, moving towards the goal of equity.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Associate Professor Dr. Dang Thi Thanh Huyen, former Director of the Institute of Educational Management Research (Academy of Educational Management), believes that in addition to providing free textbooks, if disadvantaged areas receive more investment to improve the quality of teachers, facilities, and teaching equipment, especially in science and technology fields such as AI and STEM, the regional gap will be further narrowed, improving access to education equally across regions.

Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam, Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Educational Psychology , stated: "Alongside developing the quality of education, providing free textbooks is an initial step to create uniformity and consistency, aiming towards the goal of equity."

He also noted that the use of free textbooks, shared textbooks from the school library, requires increased awareness of proper care from both the school and each student to maximize budget savings. Students must be educated to use textbooks carefully so that future generations can continue to use them, and schools also need to properly store textbooks to prevent damage.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Trung, Principal of Vo Nguyen Giap Secondary School in Muong Phang commune ( Dien Bien province ), also affirmed that the school will have a great responsibility in preserving textbooks for long-term use, avoiding the need to purchase new ones every year.

In addition, the content and structure of the unified textbooks from the next school year onwards need to ensure stability, avoiding major revisions so that we don't have to "change books" every year.

Regarding the Vietnam Education Publishing House, the unit whose textbook series "Connecting Knowledge with Life" has been selected as the unified national textbook series from the 2026-2027 school year, Mr. Nguyen Van Tung, a member of the Publishing House's Board of Directors, stated: "The Publishing House's leadership is committed to focusing on directing the entire system to continue optimizing production processes and drastically reducing costs in order to further lower textbook prices from the 2026-2027 school year."

The Ministry of Education and Training also stated that the draft decree is being developed in a way that stipulates that the management, procurement, allocation, use, and circulation of textbooks and teaching materials must be carried out openly and transparently; and that accountability and supervision must be strengthened.

According to the draft decree, the implementation prioritizes maximizing the use of existing textbooks, strengthening circulation between educational institutions through a library linkage mechanism to improve budget efficiency and reduce waste.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mien-phi-sach-giao-khoa-nhung-phai-hieu-qua-va-tiet-kiem-185260401233748555.htm