The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training has just sent a document to the principals of general education institutions on the implementation of local programs, textbooks and educational materials under the direction of the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee.
Accordingly, from the 2026-2027 school year, Ho Chi Minh City will unify the use of the textbook set "Connecting Knowledge with Life" throughout the general education system.
The Department of Education and Training requests schools to develop school education plans, organize professional activities, and inspect and evaluate students in accordance with the general education program, ensuring flexibility, proactiveness and practical suitability.
Notably, the Department of Education and Training emphasized the strict prohibition of forcing students and parents to buy new textbooks when they are still usable.
Schools must guide students to use and preserve textbooks for long-term, economical use, and at the same time reasonably estimate the need to equip books for students and libraries, avoiding waste and incurring unnecessary costs.
For other textbooks that have been approved by the Ministry of Education and Training before, the school can continue to use them as reference materials and teaching aids, but without causing disruption or creating additional burdens for students and parents.
Along with that, the Department of Education and Training requests schools to review facilities, teaching equipment, subject classrooms, digital transformation infrastructure; proactively propose to supplement the teaching staff to ensure sufficient quantity, structure and qualifications according to regulations.
Regarding training, teachers must complete self-training to use textbooks before June 29, 2026. The Department of Education and Training will coordinate with publishers to organize online training from the end of June to the end of July 2026.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training also requested to strengthen communication, publicize the policy of using a unified set of textbooks to create social consensus, ensuring that the implementation of the general education program achieves real effectiveness.
