What does the Vietnam Education Publishing House say?

On the morning of June 15th, representatives from the Vietnam Education Publishing House announced that the publishing house had completed the price declaration with the Ministry of Finance for two sets of textbooks, "Connecting Knowledge with Life" and "Creative Horizons," for grades 4, 8, and 11.

The prices of textbooks under the new general education program have been newly declared, not increased. "Comparing the prices of textbooks under the new program with those under the old program is not fair, because the compilation and publication of a new set of textbooks have fundamental differences compared to the previous ones," this leader said.

Textbook prices for grades 4, 8, and 11 are high: What does the Vietnam Education Publishing House say? - 1 — New 8th grade textbooks from Vietnam Education Publishing House.

In 2023, input costs (materials, printing) increased significantly, but the Vietnam Education Publishing House still managed to reduce production costs, thereby providing a basis for lowering the selling prices of textbooks for grades 4, 8, and 11.

"Textbooks published by Vietnam Education Publishing House have the lowest prices among those approved by the Ministry of Education and Training. For example, the 'Connecting Knowledge with Life' series is 22-26% cheaper than those from other publishers," the representative cited as an example.

The Vietnam Education Publishing House has also reduced distribution fees to lower the prices of textbooks for grades 4, 8, and 11 compared to the previous year. Distribution fees include costs for transportation, warehousing, labor, etc. As evidence, the prices of textbooks for grades 4, 8, and 11 are 4-6% lower than those for grades 3, 7, and 10.

For the 2023-2024 school year, the Vietnam Education Publishing House will continue its program of supporting textbooks for disadvantaged students, donating books to school libraries nationwide, and awarding scholarships to students.

According to a decision by the Minister of Education and Training, the list of new textbooks to be used in schools from the 2023-2024 school year under the new general education program for grades 4, 8, and 11 includes: "Cánh Diều," "Kết Nối Tri Thức Với Cuộc Sống," and "Chân Trời Sáng Tạo." These three sets of books are published by: Vietnam Education Investment and Publishing Joint Stock Company (VEPIC) and Vietnam Education Publishing House.

Among the three approved sets of textbooks, the "Wings of the Kite" series from Vietnam Education Publishing and Investment Joint Stock Company (VEPIC) has the highest price. Meanwhile, the "Creative Horizons" and "Connecting Knowledge with Life" series from Vietnam Education Publishing House are cheaper, ranging from 30,000 to 100,000 VND per set.

Currently, only the Vietnam Education Publishing House has announced the textbooks and prices for English textbooks for grades 4, 8, and 11, while the Vietnam Education Investment and Publishing Joint Stock Company (VEPIC) - the "Wings of the Kite" series - has not yet announced the English textbooks as required.