Matrix of textbooks and workbooks
Early in the morning, at the educational bookstore on Truong Chinh Street (Buon Ma Thuot City, Dak Lak), people were busy buying books and school supplies to prepare for the new school year 2024 - 2025.
Next to the 10th grade bookshelf, Nguyen Do Anh Duong, a student at High School in Buon Ma Thuot city, carefully looked at each book he was looking for. Anh Duong said that this year she studied two sets of books (Kite, Connecting knowledge to life). Therefore, you must look carefully, avoid choosing the wrong book, having to return it, wasting time. Accompanying Anh Duong is her younger sister Nguyen Do Tra My, who is in 7th grade this year.
Tra My said that her family has 4 sisters who are going to school. In addition to Tra My and Anh Duong, there is also an older sister who is in grade 12 at the beginning of this year and a youngest brother who is in grade 3. Today, Anh Duong and her sisters went to choose books first, if anything is missing they will continue to buy more.
According to H'Khuyen Nie (11th grade student, Dam San Ethnic Boarding High School, Buon Ho town, Dak Lak), he studied all 3 sets of books. For example, History studies the Kite book series, Mathematics studies the book series Connecting knowledge to life, and Physics studies the Creative Horizons book series. As for textbooks, H'Khuyen was provided with them, but for exercise books, she had to buy them herself.
Mr. Truong Van Bang - Director of Dak Lak Book - School Equipment Joint Stock Company - said that according to the 2018 general education program, a program with many book sets has advantages but also many difficulties for learning. Parents and students choose books because each school and even each class has a different set of books. There are cases where studying up to 3 sets of books makes many parents and students confused and choose the wrong book. Therefore, the bookstore must arrange a room to exchange and return books.
Many parents and students have to bring a list when shopping for books. And bookstore staff must clearly understand the book collections of each school and even each class to help choose books for parents and students. This will help limit the risk of buying the wrong item and having to exchange it, wasting time and effort.
"Each province chooses a different set of books, different subjects. One province studies the book Kite, but another province studies the book Connecting knowledge with life, and another province studies the book Creative Horizons. Therefore. , bookstores have difficulty exchanging books, leading to local book shortages" - Mr. Bang added.
Books that are only used once or not at all
Ms. Nguyen Thi Luyen (Buon Ma Thuot City, Dak Lak) said, my youngest child is going to grade 9 this year. In the past, the textbooks did not change, so the first child finished school and left it for the next child, or even for the next child. any child or family in need. However, now it's different, the 8th grade book set that she bought for her youngest child last year, now remains intact because she can't give it to anyone.
“There are many children in the district but they cannot get my children's books to study. Because the books of the children's school are different here. On the contrary, my children cannot re-learn anyone else's books because this year 9th grade follows a different program. In my opinion, a textbook that can only be used once is a waste" - Ms. Luyen informed.
Not only textbooks, many exercise books are also in the same situation. H'Nhi Byă - a 10th grade student in Cu M'gar district - said that every subject has workbooks. Therefore, last school year, I bought a complete set. However, the percentage of exercise books used is quite small, even some subjects are not touched such as Math, Technology... because teachers often print out exercises on paper for students to do.
“To avoid waste, this school year, I will be selective and not buy full exercise books. I will buy any subject that the teacher requires. That way I can save money, avoid buying things that are not used or wasted" - H'Nhi shared.
In the 2024 - 2025 school year, grade 12 in Dak Lak province alone has 51 textbooks of 3 sets of books. According to this year's new program, grade 12 classes have up to 6 combinations. This means that the book set for each school and even each class will be different. Therefore, re-learning textbooks will be difficult.
With this approach, for well-off families, buying new books for their children can be stress-free. However, for families with limited economic resources, families with many school-aged children, especially ethnic minorities, this becomes a burden at the beginning of the school year.
