On the evening of 8/4, some parents reported that the link appeared in question 3, page 59 of the 3rd grade Informatics workbook, published by Hue University Press. The book instructed students to access the link, perform operations like using the mouse scroll wheel, and then comment on its function when searching for videos.
However, despite the link's title suggesting children's videos, the website actually contained inappropriate content.
The incident quickly spread. Parents expressed concern about their children potentially viewing the content and questioned why an unsuitable website appeared in a school-circulated book for students.
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The exercise in the 3rd grade Informatics book contained a link unsuitable for students. Photo: 8-4 Moc Chau Primary School |
Immediately on the evening of 8/4, 8-4 Moc Chau Primary School, one of the schools using this book, stated it had received feedback from parents.
The school reported that previously, the website link in the book was "completely normal" and provided suitable videos for children. The school believes the website may have been hacked, its management compromised, or its domain ownership changed, causing the content to change beyond their control.
According to the school, all local schools have used the book for three years.
On its fanpage at noon on 9/4, Dai Truong Phat Company (DTP Group), the book's publisher, issued an "urgent notice," acknowledging that the link in the informatics book leading to an unsuitable website was a "serious technical incident." The publisher has reported the matter to the Cybersecurity Department and relevant authorities for resolution.
"We are urgently implementing corrective measures, aiming for a safer and more stable access platform as soon as possible," the notice stated.
Currently, both the school and the publisher advise students not to access the link to avoid harmful content, and recommend parents check Internet content before allowing their children to use it.
The 3rd grade Informatics workbook was authored by Nguyen Tuong Tri (editor-in-chief), Nguyen Van Khang, and Nguyen Phuc Xuan Quynh, and printed by Hue University Press. This book is not on the list of textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education and Training; instead, some schools use it as reference material.
By Thanh Hang
