Does merging provinces and cities affect textbooks?

The whole country has 11 localities remaining the same, 52 localities merged into 23 new provinces and cities. Therefore, the localeducation content of the 52 merged provinces and cities will be affected the most. Some other subjects also need to be adjusted, adding appropriate place names, such as literature, history, geography (junior high school and high school levels), elementary school also has affected subjects such as: Vietnamese, history and geography, nature and society.

Meanwhile, August is the time when students return to school, and on September 5, students nationwide will start the new school year. Many parents and students are wondering whether they need to update and revise textbooks in time for the new school year?

BIG IMPACT ON HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, LOCAL EDUCATION

Dr. Nguyen Thi Huyen Thao, history teacher at Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted, Ho Chi Minh City, emphasized that the plan to merge provinces and cities, dissolve districts and maintain commune-level administrative units is an innovation policy of the Party, State and Government in implementing state apparatus reform towards streamlining, thereby promoting the creative capacity of the state apparatus in a new period and era.

There needs to be adjustments to the content of textbooks for history, geography, literature and local educational materials after the merger of provinces and cities.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

According to Dr. Thao, the merger of provinces and cities will greatly affect general science knowledge, and greatly impact history and geography. These impacts require teachers to be flexible and quick in updating geographical knowledge as well as redefining historical knowledge associated with the names of localities.

"The education sector also needs specific and clear training in subjects, specifically geography and history, because not all teachers fully grasp the spirit of administrative reform, demarcation of geographical administrative areas and clearly understand the issues," said Dr. Thao.

Dr. Huynh Cong Minh, former Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, also said that the content of textbooks on history, geography, local education, etc. must be revised and updated to be appropriate and accurate to the current situation.

According to many teachers, literature is also affected in the author introduction section for some lessons with notes about the author's hometown and place of work. In addition, there are also some informational texts introducing place names and historical figures associated with the names of provinces and cities that are no longer suitable after the merger. In addition, many literary works also have specific place names that need to be noted (which province this old place name belongs to now) so that students can thoroughly understand the issue.

N CONTENT NEEDING ADJUSTMENT

Meritorious Teacher Tran Duc Huyen, former Vice Principal of Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted (HCMC), an expert in writing the 2018 General Education Program textbooks, said that when administrative units change, maps, names, zoning, population, or socio-economic data also change. Therefore, textbooks need to be reviewed and adjusted periodically to ensure that students have access to correct and timely information, helping them understand correctly about the country and homeland.

Mr. Huynh Thanh Phu, Principal of Bui Thi Xuan High School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), further analyzed: For example, with geography, it is necessary to update administrative geography data to match the reality after the merger. Specifically, administrative geography needs to draw maps and adjust administrative maps, update new local maps, administrative unit boundaries, population density, population distribution, economy, resources, etc.

The economic geography of the region after the merger can change the economic structure and geographical characteristics of the region. For example, when merging with Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Binh Duong, the new Ho Chi Minh City will have a seaport, mountains, sea, airport...

Principal of Bui Thi Xuan High School said that local education is the subject most directly affected. When merging provinces and cities, it is necessary to review, remove duplicate parts, update administrative information, place names, cultural traditions, and historical relics to suit the reality of the new province or city. According to Mr. Phu, instead of combining documents from localities, it is necessary to select, synthesize, and compile a new local education document, ensuring the overview and common characteristics of the regions. To do this, it is necessary to establish an advisory board, including leading experts to guide and help authors compile documents objectively.

In addition, a PhD participating in writing geography textbooks said that it is necessary to revise maps according to administrative boundaries of new provinces to be consistent with the 2018 General Education Program.

Primary school textbooks also have subjects affected after the merger of provinces and cities such as: Vietnamese language, history and geography, nature and society.

Photo: Nhat Thinh

SHOULD THERE BE AN ATTACHMENT OR ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT

Adjusting textbook content after merging localities is necessary. However, to prepare textbooks for the new school year 2025 - 2026, publishers have completed printing books since March.

There is no time to adjust textbooks in the new school year, so how will teachers teach students with the changed content after the merger?

According to Mr. Tran Duc Huyen, in other countries, textbook adjustments are carried out in a transparent process, with consultation from specialized agencies. In Vietnam, textbook updates need to be included in the annual periodic plan, so for now, we can use the updated appendix attached to the book or electronic documents synchronized with the official textbooks.

A textbook writing expert shared that every year, publishers revise according to the author's request and update new data. The merger is from July 2025 while the data in the textbooks is from before 2025, so it can still be used, but during the teaching process, teachers can update more. If possible, publishers can provide new maps in the new school year.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Huyen Thao suggested: "There should be a document or appendix attached to support the teaching of the two subjects of history and geography instead of having to change or rewrite books during this period. After the arrangement and complete stabilization, the education sector will organize training for teachers on adjustments to textbooks. As for exams, I think we should temporarily retain the old knowledge content when we have not received training and direction from the Department of Education and Training and the Ministry of Education and Training."

Dr. Huynh Cong Minh commented: "There are many ways to update and revise this, such as printing appendices attached to textbooks or compiling lesson plans and teaching materials to meet the new situation, without necessarily waiting for textbooks to be reprinted. Regarding the content of teaching the policy of merging provinces and cities and abolishing district-level administrative units, schools should not stop at informing but must tell students about the value and significance of the policy of streamlining the apparatus, promoting the positivity of grassroots governments to practically serve the people."

According to Dr. Huynh Cong Minh, with the 2018 General Education Program, textbooks are learning materials, the program has legal status. Therefore, we should not wait to print new textbooks with full adjustments and updated information to be able to teach students about the new and changed content.

The principal of a primary school in Ho Chi Minh City said that at this time, localities, schools, and teachers are still waiting for specific instructions from the management unit, the Department of Education and Training, and the Ministry of Education and Training on textbooks for the new school year 2025-2026.

"It is not necessary to reprint textbooks or local educational materials because it is very costly and wasteful. We can update the adjusted information in the appendices accompanying the subjects with adjusted and changed knowledge. However, printing appendices cannot be done overnight, so in the near future, the Ministry of Education and Training and related ministries can coordinate and unify in an official document on the adjusted/updated knowledge, and can release an electronic version, post it on a digital learning material repository, such as the digital textbook repository that teachers and students are currently using. Local educational materials should also be digitally transformed with updates," he said.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Van, former Head of the Department of Education and Training of District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, said that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Training need to coordinate to soon issue official documents serving the teaching of teachers and the learning of students. According to Mr. Van, in addition to issuing official documents, updated documents serving teaching can be applied to digital transformation, uploaded to digital learning materials, digital lectures... so that localities, schools, and teachers can easily download and use.

Promote creativity and dynamism of teachers

Dr. Huynh Cong Minh shared: "Perhaps this is also a good opportunity for teachers to strongly break away from the method of teaching academic theory to cope with exams and to teach and develop students' capacity with the vivid reality of life along with the positive innovations of society in the new era. That is also the spirit of teaching according to Resolution 29/2013 and the 2018 General Education Program".

Similarly, the principal of a primary school in Ho Chi Minh City commented that reality shows that knowledge is a constant flow of new information, and textbooks cannot always be updated promptly. For example, the world population in textbooks printed 6 years ago will certainly be different from today, or the GRDP of provinces and cities will also change over the years... Therefore, teachers are forced to constantly update their knowledge. This is not difficult in the context of digital schools and modern technology like today.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/sap-nhap-tinh-thanh-co-anh-huong-sach-giao-khoa-185250521182755675.htm