Textbook sets produced by the Việt Nam Education Publishing House. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Education and Training has released a draft decree proposing free textbooks for students nationwide starting from the 2029–30 academic year.

The policy aims to reduce education costs and ensure greater equity in access to learning for students across the country.

Under the proposal, textbooks for general education programmes will be provided through a shared library system. The state will fund the purchase of textbooks, including Braille editions, for school libraries, allowing students and teachers to borrow them for use during a semester or academic year and return them afterward for reuse.

The free textbook policy is scheduled to be implemented nationwide from the 2029–30 school year. Localities with sufficient budget capacity are encouraged to introduce the scheme earlier, with priority given to border areas, islands, ethnic minority and mountainous regions, and areas facing particularly difficult socio-economic conditions.

The draft decree also proposes providing textbooks for the national defence and security education course free of charge to students at universities and vocational institutions through a borrow-and-return system via libraries. This policy is expected to take effect nationwide from the 2027–28 academic year.

At the same time, students will be exempt from tuition fees for this compulsory course, with the State budget compensating training institutions directly. The tuition exemption is expected to begin from the 2027–28 academic year after the issuance of economic and technical cost norms in the 2026–27 academic year.

Funding for these policies will be ensured by the State budget in accordance with existing regulations, while authorities also encourage contributions from organisations and individuals to support educational institutions.

The draft stresses that the procurement, management, distribution and circulation of textbooks and teaching materials must be conducted transparently and in accordance with legal regulations to ensure efficient use of public resources and prevent misuse. — VNA/VNS