On September 9, Hue City People's Committee said that the Department of Education and Training informed that about 21% of students in the whole city do not have printed textbooks when the new school year has started.
Mr. Pham Ba Thanh - Chief of Office of Hue City Department of Education and Training - informed that after the city implemented the policy of free distribution (lending) textbooks to students, the Department coordinated with the Department of Finance to review needs to prepare for bidding.
Through review during the summer, the total value of the bidding package is expected to be about 28.2 billion VND, but no contractors registered to participate. By August 25, the Department continued to review actual needs and determined that the value of textbooks to be borrowed is about 12.3 billion VND.
The Department has adjusted the bidding package and conducted bidding according to regulations, expected to open bidding on September 19.
According to Mr. Thanh, the book shortage situation occurs at many levels of education and classes, of which grade 12 is the most short. The Department of Education and Training is contacting the Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam Education Publishing House to ensure the source of books after selecting contractors.
While waiting for books, the Education sector requests schools to organize teaching and learning normally, and at the same time guide students and parents to exploit the digital learning resources provided free of charge by Vietnam Education Publishing House.
Inter-level boarding schools in border communes are directed to provide enough books, ensuring that students have books before the opening day.
Parents believe that the policy of lending free textbooks is practical and helps reduce learning costs. However, the implementation of the policy right in the 2026 - 2027 school year when the source of books is not fully prepared has caused difficulties for many families in the first weeks of the school year.
The Department of Education and Training said that it is coordinating with relevant units to soon ensure the source of books, meeting the learning needs of students in the area.
