One program, many textbooks: Reactions due to incorrect understanding

Elementary school students from grades 1 to 5 have been using the new textbooks since the 2020 school year – Photo: VINH HA

This content is stipulated in Resolution 88/2014 of the National Assembly and in the Education Law. It must be affirmed that this is a significant step forward in the country's education system in recent years.

Starting from the 2020-2021 school year, along with the phased implementation of the 2018 General Education Program, the compilation of new textbooks also commenced. To date, new textbooks are available for grades 1 to 12, with only a few grades being updated each year.

Many advantages

The adoption of a socialized textbook system , replacing the previous mechanism of a state-owned enterprise having a monopoly on textbook compilation and distribution, has had advantages such as a more diverse range of learning materials and improved textbook quality.

And most fundamentally, the implementation of teaching management based on a unified educational program with multiple textbooks and materials designed to suit modern educational trends and the goal of developing learners' competencies and qualities, replacing teaching that focuses solely on providing pure knowledge.

However, after five years of implementation, the question of whether or not to have multiple textbooks remains. Recently, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son's response to voters caused controversy again when he defended the view of implementing a program with multiple textbooks .

Voters have proposed reverting to a single, unified set of textbooks nationwide for all educational levels, as was done previously, to facilitate public use, prevent waste, and avoid constant changes. One of the reasons cited by voters to illustrate the difficulties and wastefulness of implementing multiple textbooks is the recent flooding, where many areas lacked textbooks but found it difficult to use the old, donated ones due to incompatibility.

With the goal of education being to develop students' competencies and qualities, the curriculum and teaching methods, as well as student assessment, are crucial. Textbooks are now just one of many teaching materials, and diversifying theoretical resources will promote autonomy, flexibility, and creativity in teaching and learning.

And as textbooks become more widely available, competition will emerge in improving the quality of textbooks and textbook supply services.

Weaknesses in implementation

There are some misunderstandings among the public regarding the socialized textbook system . Firstly, there's no such thing as "changing textbooks every year." The textbook changes under the 2018 General Education Program are part of a phased implementation over five years. Each year, only a few grades will have their textbooks changed until the cycle from grade 1 to grade 12 is complete, after which the system will remain stable for a long period.

Secondly, the 2018 General Education Program is a single, unified curriculum nationwide. Teaching, learning, testing, assessment, and examinations are all based on this program. However, many people are equating textbooks with the curriculum and are alarmed because each school and region implements a different "program." These misunderstandings are not clarified or properly communicated, leading to many inaccurate opinions.

However, the misunderstanding and lack of trust in the "one curriculum, multiple textbooks " model also reflects weaknesses in its implementation over the past years.

In schools, the teaching and assessment approach heavily reliant on textbooks has not been completely abandoned. Although the shift from purely knowledge-transmission teaching to teaching that develops students' competencies and qualities is considered the core of educational reform, many schools, administrators, and teachers remain unclear about this.

In reality, in many schools, the organization of teaching and learning has not changed much compared to the past; it's simply a matter of applying different curricula and textbooks . When the fundamental issues that need to be changed are not addressed properly and thoroughly, having multiple textbooks does not bring the expected results.

While people don't see the advantages of having "multiple textbooks, " they only see the drawbacks: difficulty in buying books, difficulty in reusing old books, and difficulties when students transfer schools and have to switch to different textbooks. Every year, the textbook selection process is delayed, causing many students to be late in receiving their books to prepare for the new school year.

Although socialized textbooks have improved in form and quality, they still contain many flaws, errors, and are more expensive than before.

These are issues that the state management agency, the Ministry of Education and Training, needs to seriously consider and address, especially in the area of ​​professional management. This should have been done immediately, alongside the reform roadmap, and necessary adjustments should have been made once the textbook replacement process had completed its full cycle.

Breakthrough policy

Prior to the 8th session of the National Assembly, voters in Hung Yen province proposed considering the unification of a single set of textbooks for students of the same grade level nationwide. They also suggested that frequent changes to textbooks should be avoided, as this would cause waste due to the books not being reusable and create difficulties for both sellers and parents in finding books for their children.

In response to this, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son stated that Resolution 88/2014 of the National Assembly stipulates the socialization of textbook compilation, with several textbooks for each subject.

The Minister assessed the policy of socializing textbook publishing as a groundbreaking initiative, changing the monopolistic mechanism of textbook publishing. Simultaneously, it socializes textbook publishing, creating opportunities for many individuals and organizations with the capacity and resources to participate in the compilation and publication of textbooks . This, in turn, creates competition and motivates textbook authors and publishers to produce high-quality textbooks.

Minister Nguyen Kim Son also affirmed that the socialization of textbooks has achieved good results, with each subject and educational activity having between 3 and 9 sets of textbooks .

We need to stay close to reality.

In a process of reform, we cannot be discouraged and return to square one simply because we encounter difficulties. However, we must also stay grounded in reality to ensure effective implementation. Only when people clearly see the advantages will they be willing to overcome current obstacles to achieve the greater goal.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mot-chuong-trinh-nhieu-sach-giao-khoa-phan-ung-vi-hieu-chua-dung-20250118081812436.htm