Should we return to a single set of textbooks nationwide?

The policy of 'one program - many textbooks' is a consistent orientation of the Party and State, which has been effectively implemented over the past 5 years with the 2018 General Education Program and 3 sets of socialized textbooks.

There is now a proposal to conduct research in the direction of having a common set of textbooks; other textbooks are reference materials. Supporters say that this will be unified, economical and fair, but this also reduces diversity, limits creativity, narrows access to knowledge, and is a step backward compared to modern educational thinking and the integration trend.

N ADVANTAGES OF A BOOK SET

Before 2020, the whole country used a set of textbooks. This model has some advantages. First of all, it is the unification of knowledge standards. Students nationwide study the same content, reducing the gap between localities; testing and exams are more convenient because the test questions are easy to build, teachers have a unified teaching orientation, convenient for class observation, testing and evaluation.

From the 2020-2021 school year, the 2018 General Education Program with "one program - many textbooks" will officially operate and in 2025, a cycle of innovation will be completed.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Next is the saving of social costs because printing in large quantities helps reduce the price of books, making them easy to reuse between generations. In addition, schools and teachers do not have to worry about choosing books, avoiding the situation of "book racing" or negative suspicion in choosing textbooks every year.

Due to the psychology of being used to a set of books, plus the difficulty of transferring schools because of different books, and the increase in book prices, many people hope to return to the model of having one set of textbooks nationwide. In addition, the communication about the policy of "one program - many textbooks" is not really effective, lacks thorough explanation, and sometimes only emphasizes personal opinions.

However, the above advantages are mainly short-term. If we look deeper, the model of a common set of books has great potential risks, which can impoverish human resources, making it difficult for the country to meet development requirements in the new era.

CONSEQUENCES OF THE WHOLE COUNTRY HAVING ONLY ONE SET OF BOOKS

When the whole country has only one set of textbooks used for all regions, all schools from North to South, from the plains to the mountains and islands, many major consequences will occur.

First, the model of a single set of textbooks eliminates competition and stops innovation. When the entire education system depends on a group of authors, quality is likely to stagnate, and errors, if any, will affect the entire system - this is the "knowledge monopoly" that many countries have abandoned.

Second, it is difficult to meet regional diversity. Vietnam's regions have great diversity in culture and living conditions that a common set of books cannot fully reflect, easily making the content far from reality, leading to rote learning.

Third, teachers' creativity is stifled. When they have to teach from the textbook, teachers lose flexibility and gradually become "readers and copyists" and students become "copyists and readers".

Fourth, the risk of dependence on one-sided viewpoints. A common set of textbooks can easily lead to monopoly, be dominated by administrative will, impose, accept errors when they are seen, turn textbooks into "ordinances", and impoverish the critical and creative abilities of the young generation of Vietnam - the future owners of the country.

Fifth, the world has moved away from the model of a common set of textbooks. From the US, Japan, Korea, China to many ASEAN countries, all apply a program of multiple sets of textbooks - including books from the Ministry of Education and Training and books compiled by private publishers - to ensure knowledge standards and encourage creativity, dynamism, and self-study of teachers, students, and the entire education system.

Parents and students buy textbooks to prepare for the new school year. The new general education program has 3 sets of socialized textbooks.

Photo: Dao Ngoc Thach

C TRANSFORMATION FROM "ONE PROGRAM - MANY TEXTBOOKS"

From the 2020-2021 school year, the 2018 General Education Program has been implemented with the policy of "one program - many textbooks". After 5 years, this model has brought about clear changes.

For the first time, the Ministry of Education and Training issued the curriculum before compiling textbooks and teachers accessed the curriculum before textbooks; previously, it was the other way around, accessing textbooks before the curriculum. The proper implementation helps grades gradually access new content, while facilities, teaching equipment and staff are trained and significantly upgraded.

The rate of studying 2 sessions/day increased, teachers were trained to apply active teaching methods, developing capacity instead of just imparting knowledge. Students were more interested in experiential activities, projects, discussions, thereby becoming confident and proactive in solving problems.

Notably, this model has improved the professional and pedagogical qualifications of teachers, specialists, and test makers. The organization of exams and assessments has shifted from testing knowledge and skills to assessing competencies.

The quality of teacher training in teacher training colleges has also improved, in line with the requirements of the new curriculum. Even parents have changed their perception: from worrying about many sets of books, they have now gradually supported flexibility and valued their children's actual abilities.

" TEST P" FROM HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION EXAM 2025

The 2025 high school graduation exam is an important "test" for the policy of many textbooks, when for the first time the exam questions are not based on books but closely follow the program. The materials, situations, and data are all from reality, requiring students to understand the nature, think logically, and know how to apply knowledge. The exam structure is reasonably stratified, both differentiating and accurately assessing real abilities, and limiting rote learning and cramming.

The combination of a unified program, many sets of textbooks and exams free from textbooks affirms the orientation of learning to understand and do, not just to take exams, contributing to improving the quality of real, fair and modern education. Many subjects have changed from memorization tests to competency assessments. The math exam is more difficult than in 2024 but still has 513 scores of 10 (there was none last year); foreign languages are more about the ability to use, more difficult but still have 141 scores of 10. The whole country recorded 9 valedictorians with absolute scores in the groups A00, A01, B00..., proving that the exam differentiates well, creating conditions for excellent students to shine.

Literature stands out with questions that do not require memorization, but assess reading comprehension, analysis, and argumentation; the national average score is 7 (in 2024 it is 7.25), showing good adaptability, thanks to accessing diverse knowledge from many textbooks.

The results of the 2025 high school graduation exam also dismissed concerns about regional inequality: Nghe An led with 8,034 points despite having many mountainous districts, while Da Nang (old) - a large urban area - ranked last with 5.58 points, affirming that new teaching methods are the decisive factor.

Candidates for the 2025 high school graduation exam, the first exam conducted under the new General Education Program

Photo: Nhat Thinh

" ONE PROGRAM - MANY TEXTBOOKS": CONSISTENT POLICY

A set of textbooks used nationwide, although convenient for direction, synchronous implementation and cost savings, impoverishes the richness and dynamism of knowledge. Vietnam needs to maintain a unified program but with many quality textbooks, strictly assessed, with open learning materials and content approaching international trends.

The reality of the 2025 high school graduation exam shows that if properly prepared, students can completely adapt to exam questions that do not follow textbooks, demonstrating flexible and creative thinking. Many sets of textbooks help teachers and students approach diverse perspectives, reflecting regional characteristics, avoiding rote learning, students are implemented STEM education (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and scientific research very effectively.

The key now is to improve the quality of compilation, strengthen teacher training, guide effective exploitation, combine materials outside of textbooks, ensure that all students - from urban to disadvantaged areas - have equal access to knowledge, develop capacity, critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, and global citizen orientation. Therefore, having only one set of textbooks is a step backward in integration.

From Resolution 29 (2013) to the 2019 Education Law, Vietnam has consistently pursued the policy of "one program - many textbooks", socializing compilation, and not imposing a common set of books. Conclusion 91-KL/TW dated August 12, 2024 continues to affirm this principle, requiring the Ministry of Education and Training to compete equally if it compiles.

The government needs to have a comprehensive, quality, economical textbook policy, moving towards free textbooks for high school students. Returning to a set of textbooks not only goes against innovation but also risks making human resources lag behind in the 4.0 era.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/co-nen-quay-lai-ca-nuoc-mot-bo-sach-giao-khoa-18525081520121859.htm