Choosing new textbooks in Nghe An: Still waiting for common criteria!

A discussion about textbooks at Dong Vinh Primary School. Photo: My Ha

Many options to choose from.

Taking advantage of the school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Quan Hanh Town Primary School (Nghi Loc District) organized a teacher-to-teacher assessment of three new textbooks: "Learning Together to Develop Competencies," "Connecting Knowledge with Life," and "The Kite." The assessment process was conducted systematically by the school, divided into groups and by subject. Based on the feedback received, the school will compile the suggestions and submit them to the Department of Education and Training for a selection.

After reviewing the new textbooks, Ms. Tran Thi Thu, a teacher with many years of experience teaching first grade, offered a rather thoughtful assessment. However, Ms. Thu stated: “I am moderately satisfied because, overall, the textbooks in the new curriculum are beautifully presented, eye-catching, and feature many vivid images. Furthermore, each lesson is arranged in a coherent and clear sequence, ensuring the standard of knowledge and skills, which will be beneficial for both teachers and students in approaching the lessons. In addition, the content of the three textbooks is quite similar.”

Teachers at Quan Hanh Town Primary School discuss and comment on the new first-grade textbooks. Photo: My Ha

At Dong Vinh Primary School (Vinh City), the school has also completed the assessment and evaluation process.

Commenting on the new textbooks, Ms. Nguyen Van Anh, a first-grade teacher, said: “The textbooks have a connection, building a lesson structure and themes for each lesson to allow teachers flexibility in teaching. The lessons are designed to be linked to exploration, activities, games, and practical application. In Mathematics, interdisciplinary content is integrated, such as incorporating stories like 'The Tortoise and the Hare' and 'The Adventures of Cricket' into the lessons. The textbooks also have a sense of continuity, with exercises containing many questions arranged from easy to difficult, aiming at exploration, discovery, practice, and application to problem-solving. In addition, the new curriculum has also increased practical activities, experiences, and fostered self-reliance and self-learning abilities.”

The new textbooks are considered quite visually appealing. Photo: My Ha

The fact that teachers have given quite optimistic assessments of the new textbooks is also a positive sign so far. Previously, the Ministry of Education and Training also affirmed that the selected textbooks were meticulously developed based on the direction of innovation in the general education curriculum. The main focus is shifting the educational goal from emphasizing knowledge transmission to helping students comprehensively develop their qualities and abilities.

Furthermore, the selected textbooks must ensure "openness" and flexibility, creating conditions for teachers and students to develop initiative and creativity in accordance with the orientation and regulations of the 2018 General Education Program. This is also the fundamental and biggest difference between the new textbooks and the current ones.

Specific criteria are needed.

Regarding the implementation of textbooks under the new curriculum, one of the issues currently under consideration is which set of textbooks to choose and which agency will make the decision. Currently, according to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education and Training at the beginning of February, school principals will be able to choose the textbooks.

According to this circular, the head of a general education institution (principal) shall establish a textbook selection council. The council is responsible for selecting textbooks in accordance with the regulations in this circular and the specific criteria for textbook selection set by the People's Committee of the province or centrally-governed city. The textbook selection process must be conducted by secret ballot, and the selected textbooks must receive the approval of more than half of the council members.

A textbook exchange session at Dong Vinh Primary School (2). Photo: My Ha

In Nghe An province, after nearly two weeks of the education and training departments distributing textbooks to schools, most schools have selected their own sets of books. However, this is only the initial selection process; the final choice is still pending the Provincial People's Committee issuing specific criteria. Furthermore, some schools remain concerned about the fact that the power to "choose" textbooks has been given to the school councils.

Regarding this, Mr. Nguyen Huu Nam, Deputy Principal of Quan Hanh Town Primary School, stated: “At this time, I believe that schools are still slow in accessing the textbooks, while teachers will officially start teaching in August. Besides, choosing which textbooks to use is quite difficult because, despite training and exposure, not many teachers thoroughly understand the new general education curriculum, which could lead to incomplete assessments of the books. We also believe that if a school chooses a single set of textbooks, it will face many difficulties in management and administration because it is related to professional guidance. Therefore, perhaps, after schools have provided feedback and evaluations, the Department of Education should gather all opinions and form a council to select a common set of textbooks for the entire locality.”

Students of Huoi Tu 2 Primary School. Photo: Duc Anh

At Hung Dung 2 Primary School (Vinh City), before establishing the textbook evaluation council, the school organized three workshops for teachers on topics such as understanding the new general education curriculum, learning about the teaching framework, the specific number of teaching hours for each subject, and building a hypothetical timetable for grade 1... Therefore, Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy - the school principal and also one of the key teachers in Vinh City involved in evaluating the new textbooks - expressed optimism if the new program is implemented at the school.

She herself stated: “Giving schools the autonomy to choose textbooks is a significant responsibility. However, I believe that if the textbooks have been approved by the State Council, there is no need to worry too much about the content, and if the users are properly trained, implementation will not be too difficult. However, if a school chooses a different set of textbooks, the education sector must also consider this when directing the creation of exam questions, tests, and student assessments.”

According to the plan, from the time the textbooks are available until the final set is announced, schools will have two months to review them, and by March 31st, they will finalize their results. By the end of April, the province will also compile a list of the number of textbooks needed for the next school year to send to the publishers.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Hoa, Head of the Primary Education Department of the Department of Education and Training, said: “Currently, the department is advising the province to develop common criteria for textbooks for schools. Regardless of which set of textbooks is chosen, it must be based on the socio-economic conditions of the localities, be suitable for the actual conditions of the schools, and be appropriate for the teachers and students.”