Parents and students struggle amid a "sea" of reference books at the beginning of the new school year
(Baonghean.vn) - Preparing to enter the new school year, reference books are being released to the market with many different publishers, causing many parents and students to have to search "tired eyes" to choose quality books with appropriate content for their studies.
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| Bookstores in Vinh City are crowded before the new school year. Photo: Quang An |
With only a few days left until the new school year, many parents and students are busy buying books and school supplies. In Vinh City, bookstores have become bustling due to the increasing number of customers.
In addition to buying complete textbooks, many parents also invest in reference books to consolidate and enhance their children's knowledge. However, finding a reference book in the current book matrix is really not easy.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Van, Truong Thi Ward (Vinh City) is looking to buy reference books for her child who has just entered 6th grade and sighed: I have been looking for reference books for my child on Math since morning and have not finished yet. There are more than 10 reference books for 6th grade Math from many publishers, each with different prices, I don't know which one to choose.
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| A variety of reference books for Literature 6 with different designs, contents and publishers. Photo: Quang An |
According to observations, almost every class and every subject has reference books. In particular, Math, Literature, English, Physics, Chemistry have the largest number with about 10 reference books per subject, making many parents confused.
For example, Literature 6 books have a variety of reference books such as: Studying Literature 6 well, Sample essays 6, Analyzing Literature 6 works, Commentary on Literature 6, 199 good essays and paragraphs 6... with many publishers such as: Education Publishing House, Youth Publishing House, Hanoi National University Publishing House, Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House...
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| Also a reference book but the paper quality is completely different. Photo: Quang An |
Not only different in price, publisher and content, reference books also have differences in paper quality. While some are printed very brightly and have thick pages, there are books printed with very poor quality paper, thin and you can see the back side.
Nguyen Van Hoang, an 11th grade student in Vinh City, said: Some reference books have very good titles such as: Study Chemistry well for 11th grade, Master Math in 30 days for 11th grade, Nurturing gifted students in geometry for 11th grade... which are very attractive to us students, but when looking inside, they are actually just math problems and solutions, not too different from those in class, but the price is very high, 4-5 times higher than the price of textbooks.
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| For authentic English books, there must be a code number on the back to check the quality and origin of the book. Photo: Quang An |
Many parents are very concerned because the price of reference books is not reasonable. Mr. Tran Van Quang, Ha Huy Tap ward said: It is also a reference book on model essays but there are 2 prices, one type costs 22,000 VND, the other type costs 45,000 VND/book. While looking at the quality of the writing, the number of pages, and the thickness, there is not much difference.
While the current textbooks from grades 1 to 12 cost less than 200,000 VND/set, reference books are sky-high priced, with some books costing from 70,000 to 100,000 VND/book. Many parents have to spend millions of VND to buy reference books for their children.
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| Reference books for all grades are piled up in bookstores, but it is not easy for parents and students to find the right book. Photo: Quang An |
It is worth mentioning that currently many bookstore owners only know how to "import and sell books" without consulting parents and students. Ms. Thuan, the owner of a bookstore on Nguyen Van Cu Street, admitted: "I import reference books to sell, but when parents and students ask if the book is good, what is the quality, if the solutions are close to the textbooks... then how can I fully understand; only teachers and experts can confirm the content of the book, I am a seller so I cannot speak about this issue".
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| Authorities check books at a bookstore on Nguyen Van Cu Street, Vinh City. Photo: Quang An |
According to many experienced teachers, with the current matrix of reference books, parents and students should choose reputable companies and book agents to buy. In addition, they should consult with subject teachers to minimize the risk of buying books that do not guarantee quality, affecting the health and learning quality of their children.
9 notes when buying and using reference books for primary school students
(Baonghean.vn) - Reference books for primary school age are like a double-edged sword. For good students, they are necessary to improve their knowledge. But for students with average and weak academic performance, reading books without guidance can easily make them bored and confused because they cannot absorb all the content.
