Confusing English textbooks for grade 1 written according to the new program
While the deadline for selecting textbooks for the new general education program is getting closer, the announcement of English books is still pending. Public opinion is wondering if there is any confusion in the book making process.
At the end of November 2019, the Ministry of Education and Training announced 32 approved first grade textbooks for use in the new general education program. However, at that time, English textbooks had not been announced.
Currently, among the 6 sample English textbooks for grade 1 that were evaluated as passing by the National Assessment Council in the first assessment round, only the book of the series “Learning together to develop capacity” has a Vietnamese editor-in-chief and editor-in-chief. The remaining series are written by foreign authors and are being requested by the Ministry of Education and Training to add Vietnamese editor-in-chief and editor-in-chief.
However, there is a growing opinion that this textbook model is actually a product of the National Foreign Language Project.
If this is true, it will confuse public opinion, as the books of the Foreign Language Project were compiled, reviewed and tested using "budget money" but are now transferred to businesses and registered for review as textbooks in the form of socialization.
 |
| Class time of students at Hop Thanh Primary School (Yen Thanh). Photo courtesy of My Ha |
According to Mr. Van at this conference, among the new textbooks, only the English textbook set is from the Ministry of Education and Training because "the Ministry assigned the National Foreign Language Project, the Vietnam Education Publishing House and the team of authors for 3 levels of general education to organize the design and compilation".
According to the Circular guiding, managing and using funds to implement the Project on teaching and learning foreign languages in the national education system for the period 2017 - 2025 issued by the Ministry of Finance, the organization of compiling teaching materials, appraisal and pilot implementation of these materials are included in the project's budget, meaning they are all paid for by the state budget.
However, the Ministry of Education and Training affirmed that it will not compile or preside over any set/book of textbooks, but will strictly implement the spirit of Resolution 88 of the National Assembly on socialization and mobilization of resources in compiling textbooks, so the entire cost of publishing new textbooks will not use the state budget.
Public opinion is wondering whether the English textbook series using the Project's budget suddenly became the socialization of an enterprise?
Discussing the "only textbook set of the Ministry of Education and Training" as said by Professor Hoang Van Van, Mr. Vu Ba Khanh, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hanoi Education Investment and Development Joint Stock Company, a subsidiary of Vietnam Education Publishing House, said that it is true that his company was assigned by Vietnam Education Publishing House to compile English books from grades 3 to 12 for the National Foreign Language Project - a set of books also edited by Professor Hoang Van Van. However, the textbook set of the Foreign Language Project for pilot teaching is only from grades 3 to 12. That is, it is not related to English books 1 and 2 of the textbook set "Learning together to develop".
 |
| Class time of first grade students at Nghi Thu Primary School, Cua Lo town. Photo courtesy of My Ha |
"We compile English textbooks for grades 1 and 2 according to the general compilation process of the Ministry of "Learning together to develop capacity", Mr. Khanh affirmed that there is no such thing as using the Project's books as business books.
According to Mr. Khanh, with the newly completed English textbook for grade 1, everything from research and compilation to testing and evaluation processes were directly organized by his unit, using the company's budget.
Regarding English textbooks, Professor Nguyen Minh Thuyet, Chief Editor of the new general education program, said that the requirement to add Vietnamese people as chief editors, editors, and authors of English textbooks compiled by foreign authors is unnecessary.
In the regulations on textbook compilation of the Ministry of Education and Training, there is no content requiring Vietnamese members in the textbook compilation team.
“I have known some textbooks belonging to the Australian humanities group, but compiled by a group of authors from a university in the UK. But in Australia they use these textbooks normally.”
According to Professor Thuyet, in the era of integration, it is possible to use textbooks written by groups of authors in different countries if the content of the books is good and suitable for educational requirements. "Especially for English books, using textbooks written by foreign authors has many advantages" - Professor Thuyet shared.
Mr. Thuyet also said he had written a letter to the Ministry of Education and Training about this issue.