A textbook reform plan has been approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, which will see VND778.8bn spent by the Education Ministry for new study materials available in 2018, involving input from private organisations.

Student at a bookstore

The textbooks will include bi-lingual material for ethnic students. The plan will also fund a group of textbook makers, an evaluation committee and be used to train teachers to use the new textbooks.

Vietnam's prevailing textbook system, created by the Education Ministry, has been shown to be weak in a number of areas, and is seen as hindering teacher creativity, and was not always suitable for some remote localities.

The National Assembly is encouraging individuals and private organisations to make their own textbooks.

Education facilities will choose textbooks base on the opinions of teachers, students and parents.

A conference of local education departments last year revealed many high-schools students in HCM City believed current teaching programmes do not address the real needs of students.

Many lessons in lower classes were repeated in the books of higher classes, making students feel disinclined to study. Some information and numbers in geography and history books were also out of date.

The new textbooks are expected to help students become more independent and creative, and to boost the relationship between teachers and students at school. Apart from core compulsory subjects, high school students will be encouraged through the new textbooks to choose several optional subjects to study.