First commune provides free textbooks for students

Hoa Vang commune allocates nearly VND 1.5 billion to implement free textbooks from the next academic year, two years ahead of the national schedule.

On 10/4, the Hoa Vang Commune People's Committee announced a new policy: providing free textbooks to all students from primary to high school. This initiative makes Hoa Vang the first locality to implement such a program, significantly predating the national rollout.

To achieve this, the commune mobilized nearly VND 1.5 billion to acquire over 74,000 new books. Complementing an existing "Shared Bookshelf" model, the local book inventory now exceeds 91,000 volumes. This ensures sufficient resources for the more than 7,000 students in the area. Students will borrow books from the communal library at the start of the academic year and return them upon completion.

Le Phu Nguyen, Chairman of the Hoa Vang Commune People's Committee, emphasized the dual benefits of the program. "This not only helps reduce the financial burden on residents but also educates students about preserving common property", he stated. He added that the national adoption of a common set of textbooks provided the commune with the foundation to achieve this goal sooner than anticipated.

The national policy for free textbooks was outlined in Resolution 71 of the Politburo, which the National Assembly approved in December 2025. The Ministry of Education and Training plans a nationwide implementation starting from the 2029-2030 academic year. Under this broader initiative, the state will invest in library acquisitions, allowing students and teachers to borrow books for a semester or academic year, returning them after use.