Amending the Education Law: Need to clarify the role of the Ministry of Education and Training in textbook development

Although the draft amendments and supplements to theEducation Law have touched on about 35 articles and 51 points of content in the Education Law, there are still many problems that need us to have a scientific mindset and work seriously to edit and supplement to ensure that the law will cover all educational activities.

Textbooks are one of the concerns of parents at the beginning of every school year.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Article 32, point 1, item b stipulates "implementing the socialization of textbooks". This provision does not mean that the Ministry of Education and Training stands outside the specific activities of textbook production. The Ministry can still establish an advisory group on the content of a set of textbooks, other activities to produce products and provide textbooks to schools are still in accordance with practice.

This proposal is not new because in 2018 there was a discussion with the World Bank in Vietnam about the Ministry of Education and Training should have its own set of textbooks. Only experts and the Ministry of Education and Training are the ones who fully, completely, and accurately understand the content of textbooks, which is "specificating the requirements of the program on educational goals and content, requirements on students' qualities and abilities; orientation on teaching methods and ways to test and evaluate educational quality".

The 2018 General Education Program is said to be too heavy even though its goals have been changed and it is determined that "theoretical knowledge is only a prerequisite goal, learned at the necessary level, enough to support the formation and development of skills and abilities as the ultimate goal of the teaching and learning process".

In addition, after 5 years of implementing the 2018 General Education Program, world and Vietnamese education have had great and rapid changes.

We have the National Digital Transformation Program, piloting artificial intelligence (AI) schools, digitalization and happy schools.

In particular, the revolutionary change in Vietnam's institutions has forced the goals and content of the 2018 General Education Program to change accordingly.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/sua-luat-giao-duc-can-lam-ro-vai-tro-cua-bo-gd-dt-trong-lam-sgk-185250521183023714.htm