Reference books in chaos before new school year

(Baonghean.vn) - Among the "forest" of reference books from many publishers, choosing quality books that are useful for your children's learning is not an easy task for parents.

Many attractive promotions

Since the end of July, all stores and bookstores in Vinh City have attracted a large number of parents to buy books and school supplies for their children. Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan (Quan Bau Ward, Vinh City) took her son to buy books for grade 5 and said: "I choose to buy at large, branded bookstores to be assured of the quality and enjoy price incentives. In addition to textbooks, I also buy reference books of all kinds, notebooks, school supplies, etc. The cost of buying books and supplies for my child is over 1 million VND."

At the Book and School Equipment Supermarket, the number of customers shopping for books, notebooks and school supplies increased by about 30% compared to last month.

As the new school year approaches, many bookstores and educational equipment stores in the area have launched discount programs of 5-10% on all items; some stores even offer discounts of up to 20% on some optional and reference books. Thanks to the stimulus programs, the purchasing power of textbooks has increased quite strongly.

However, according to the general assessment of bookstores in the city, compared to last year, this year, the purchasing power of this item has decreased. A sales staff at the Supermarket of Books and School Equipment said: The number of customers has increased a lot, but compared to last year, the number of books sold is slower. Because, the psychology of a part of parents is still waiting until the school year, after teachers instruct, to go shopping for books for their children. Regarding the prices of textbooks, they are still stable.

Most of the books this year are reprints, except for English books for grades 1, 2, and 5, which have had their content revised. A set of textbooks for grades 1 to 5 costs from 90,000 VND to 199,000 VND/set; for grades 6 to 9, the price is from 158,000 VND to 220,000 VND/set; for grades 10 to 12, the price is from 234,200 VND to 291,000 VND/set.

"Chaos" of reference books

As the new school year approaches, the demand for reference books for studying is also increasing. Taking her two children in grades 8 and 11 to choose reference books, Ms. Le Thi Phuong (Kim Lien, Nam Dan) wondered: “There are too many types of reference books from different publishers. Reference books are often twice or three times more expensive than textbooks while their quality is difficult to verify, making it really “difficult” for consumers.”

There are more than a dozen reference books for grade 2 Vietnamese alone, making it difficult for buyers to choose.

At some bookstores and book shops in Vinh City, reference books occupy a large number on the shelves with a variety of titles.

For example, reference books for Vietnamese subject for grade 2, there are dozens of books: Good Literature Essays for Grade 4, Storytelling for Grade 4, 39 Vietnamese Topics for Grade 4, Studying Vietnamese Well 4... Or Vietnamese subject for grade 2 students also has many types of reference books such as: Vietnamese 2 Weekend Exercises, Vietnamese Training for Grade 2 Students, 166 paragraphs and essays for Vietnamese 2, Writing Practice 2...

Among the “forest” of reference books from many publishers, choosing quality books that are useful for their children’s learning is not an easy task for parents. Most parents and students choose based on their feelings.

The Ministry of Education and Training has also issued regulations that educational institutions are responsible for developing detailed procedures for selecting, purchasing, managing, and using reference publications in circulation in educational institutions. Currently, some schools do this by creating a list of textbooks and reference books that survey the curriculum of each class so that parents can research and choose quality, appropriate reference books, saving time and money.

Rich in school supplies

During the new school year, school supplies, school bags, notebooks, study lamps, bookshelves, etc. also sell quite well. This year, school bags, backpacks, and bags come in a variety of designs and colors, suitable for all ages, and are designed with many smart features (waterproof, with padded straps, etc.); the motifs are cartoon characters that children love. Student notebooks are quite diverse, with many types of beautiful, anti-glare, and smudge-proof paper appearing.

This year, math learning kits for grades 3, 4, and 5 are selling quite well.

Prices of school supplies generally remain stable compared to last year, with a few items increasing slightly by about 5-7%. Accordingly, pens range from 5,000-10,000 VND/piece; notebooks range from 4,000-12,000 VND/book (depending on type); school bags range from 50,000 to 500,000 VND (depending on design and material); anti-myopia lamps range from 180,000-700,000 VND/piece; desks range from 500-2 million VND/piece...

Customers prioritize choosing high quality Vietnamese products with famous domestic brands.

However, there are many types of pirated textbooks and low-quality school supplies on the market today. Therefore, parents need to choose to buy at large, reputable stores, products with clear origins, stamps and labels; avoid buying low-quality products that affect the awareness and health of their children.

Moonlight