A single set of textbooks will be applied nationwide from the 2026-27 academic year. — Photo baochinhphu.vn

HÀ NỘI — The whole country will adopt a single, nationwide textbook series from the 2026-27 academic year, a move expected to facilitate teaching and learning, reduce costs and encourage the reuse of textbooks.

In recent years, although all schools have implemented the 2018 General Education Curriculum, each school has been free to choose different textbook series.

In some cases, even within the same school, different grades have used different sets of textbooks, creating challenges for teachers in professional collaboration, sharing teaching materials and ensuring continuity in students' learning across grade levels.

From the upcoming academic year, the use of a single textbook series will provide teachers nationwide with a common set of learning materials, lesson structures and a shared foundation for exchanging teaching experiences.

To prepare for the first year of implementation, schools across the country are accelerating teacher training.

At Đan Phượng Primary School in Hà Nội, although the school has mainly used the Knowledge Connection with Life textbook series for many years, all teachers are participating in refresher training to ensure consistency in classroom organisation, assessment methods and curriculum implementation.

Nguyễn Thị Oanh, principal of Đan Phượng Primary School, said the training is not simply an introduction to a new textbook series but is designed to establish a unified approach across the school in teaching methods, student assessment and the organisation of educational activities.

Supporting localities in the transition, the Việt Nam Education Publishing House has organised more than 300 training courses by subject and education level from early June to late July.

About 80 per cent of the training programme has now been completed.

The Việt Nam Education Publishing House has organised more than 300 training courses by subject and education level from early June to late July. — Photo nxbgd.vn

Digital textbooks, lesson plans, instructional videos and other digital learning resources have been uploaded to an online platform, allowing teachers to study independently at any time.

Dr Nguyễn Thụy Anh, chief editor of the Experiential Activities textbook series, said the quality of teacher training is crucial to the effective implementation of the curriculum. When teachers fully understand the philosophy behind the textbooks, the objectives of each lesson and how educational activities should be organised, implementation will be more consistent nationwide.

Beyond publisher-led training sessions, many schools have also organised their own professional development meetings, enabling teachers to discuss classroom situations and refine their teaching methods.

Trần Văn Quang, a teacher at Lương Thế Vinh Secondary and High School in Hà Nội, said engaging in multiple training sessions has helped teachers gain a deeper understanding of lesson structures, enabling them to adapt teaching methods to suit different groups of students.

According to educators, a unified textbook series will give teachers common teaching materials and a shared professional platform.

However, the quality of each lesson will still depend on teachers' professional competence, their ability to inspire students and their willingness to innovate.

Old textbooks to be reused

According to the Vietnam Education Publishing House, all textbooks published up to 2025 will continue to be used and reused as normal, provided they are not included in the list of revised titles.

For textbooks that have been updated, the publisher will issue revised editions or correction documents for teachers and students.

Many teachers believe the existing textbook series will remain valuable reference materials.

Nguyễn Thị Hà Giang, a teacher at Đan Phượng Primary School, said although the previous textbooks will no longer serve as the official teaching materials, teachers will continue to use them as supplementary resources to enrich their lessons.

Nguyễn Thị Thịnh, another teacher at the school, noted that the transition to a unified textbook series also requires teachers to continue improving their professional knowledge through self-study. The extensive collection of digital learning resources will be an effective tool in this process.

Textbook library

Using a single textbook series nationwide will also make it easier for local authorities to introduce shared textbook libraries.

In HCM City, many schools are renovating their libraries, taking inventory and labeling individual textbooks in preparation for a borrowing-and-return system.

Under the city's plan, beginning in the 2026–27 academic year, students in Grades 1, 6 and 10 will be able to borrow textbooks free of charge. The programme will then be expanded to all grade levels by 2029.

Lê Thị Ngọc Sương, principal of Mạc Đĩnh Chi Secondary School in HCM City, said the school is upgrading its library and finalising management procedures to ensure smooth borrowing and returning of textbooks, while also encouraging students to take good care of the books so they can be used by future generations of learners.

Phạm Huỳnh Đăng Khoa, a student at Trầú High School in HCM City who will benefit from the programme, said borrowing textbooks would not only reduce the financial burden on families but also help foster a stronger sense of responsibility for protecting shared public property.

From a parent's perspective, Châu Trần Diễm Ái from HCM City said, her family strongly supports the textbook lending policy. Although they still plan to purchase an additional set of textbooks for home study, borrowing textbooks from school will significantly reduce back-to-school expenses.

According to Trần Thị Quỳnh Châu, a representative of a bookstore in HCM City, having a single textbook series nationwide will make it easier for parents to purchase the correct books while also helping publishers and distributors better manage textbook supply ahead of each new academic year.

To date, five localities have introduced free textbook libraries or textbook lending.

Combined with an average 13.3 per cent reduction in textbook prices for the 2026–27 academic year, these initiatives are expected to further ease the financial burden on families while improving the efficient use of social resources.

Education experts believe that while adopting a single textbook series alone will not automatically improve classroom teaching, it will establish a common foundation for teachers to innovate their teaching methods, ensure students have equal access to learning materials and reduce costs for parents.

It is also regarded as an important step toward the goal of providing free textbook loans to all students by the 2029–20 academic year. — VNS