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The Vietnam Education Publishing House affirms that it has reduced the profit from textbooks. |
Regarding the matter of textbook prices for grades 4, 8, and 11, which have recently sparked public concern due to a substantial hike in comparison to the current textbook prices, the Vietnam Education Publishing House (VEPH) issued a response on June 15.
The VEPH has confirmed that its Grade 4, Grade 8, and Grade 11 textbooks, titled "Ket noi tri thuc voi cuoc song” (Connecting Knowledge with Life) and "Chan troi sang tao” (Horizon of Creativity), have received approval from the Minister of the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET). These textbooks will be implemented in the curriculum beginning in the 2023-2024 academic year. Furthermore, the VEPH has fulfilled the necessary pricing declaration following regulations.
The VEPH asserts that despite the ongoing rise in input costs, including materials and printing costs, it has persistently undertaken cost-cutting measures to decrease the prices of Grade 4, Grade 8, and Grade 11 textbooks. Currently, VEPH's textbooks are priced as the most affordable among the approved options. For example, the "Ket noi tri thuc voi cuoc song" textbook is priced 22-26 percent lower than textbooks from other publishers.
In addition to reducing profits and other expenses, VEPH has continued to apply discounts on publishing fees to ensure that the prices of Grade 4, Grade 8, and Grade 11 textbooks are lower than the previous year. Publishing fees include transportation, warehousing, and labor costs. The prices of grades 4, 8, and 11 textbooks are 4-6 percent lower than those of grades 3, 7, and 10 from the previous academic year. This calculation is based on the average price per page, obtained by dividing the total cover price by the total number of pages in the textbook.
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The new Grade 8 textbooks will be used starting from the upcoming academic year. |
According to the VEPH, in 2023, it will continue implementing a textbook support program targeting underprivileged students. VEPH will allocate a larger budget to provide free textbooks to students, supply books to school libraries nationwide, and offer scholarships to students.
Additionally, VEPH has enhanced its retail system and online sales channels to purchase textbooks more convenient for parents and students. The VEPH hotline at 0344.181.018 operates from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, to assist parents and students with any textbook-related issues.
The education sector has been implementing the new general education program since the 2020-2021 academic year. Currently, the program is being implemented in grades 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and Grade 10. Starting from the new academic year 2023-2024, Grades 4, 8, and 11 will also adopt the new program, and by the year 2025, all grade levels will be studying according to the new program. The process of successively replacing textbooks is being carried out simultaneously with the policy of "one program, multiple textbooks," which aims to eliminate the exclusive publication of textbooks.
The socialization of textbooks with multiple sets has sparked controversies over the past three years, as the prices of the new program's textbooks are 2-3 times higher than the old ones. VEPH and the MoET have provided an explanation for the higher prices of the new textbooks. Firstly, there has been an increase in the number of books in each set. Secondly, the compilation and publishing process is funded by enterprises rather than relying on the State budget. Additionally, the new books are approximately 1.2 times larger than the old ones and contain more illustrations, resulting in higher printing costs.
The prices of textbooks have been included in the proposed amendment to the Law on Price, which is currently being discussed during the 5th session of the 15th National Assembly. The government sets price limits for textbooks to safeguard the rights and interests of learners.
At present, the monitoring delegation of the NA's Standing Committee on the implementation of Resolution No.88 and Resolution No.51 of the NA, which focus on reforming the curriculum and general education textbooks is also overseeing this content. This is one of the four topics under monitoring by the NA and its Standing Committee in 2023. It is anticipated that the Standing Committee of the National Assembly will receive a report from the monitoring delegation in August 2023.
