The Ministry of Education and Training has announced that "Connecting knowledge with life" will become the single, unified textbook series used across the country starting from the next academic year. Minister Nguyen Kim Son signed the decision on 26/12, with its implementation set for next year.

To arrive at this choice, the Ministry confirmed it thoroughly compared criteria against the three existing textbook series. The "Connecting knowledge with life" series, published by Vietnam Education Publishing House, fully met all requirements and demonstrated superior qualities. It is currently used widely and consistently in 34 provinces and cities, reaching the largest student population.

This series also offers the highest revision capability and readiness. Vietnam Education Publishing House possesses the necessary technical, logistical, and distribution capacity to supply it nationwide. The selection of "Connecting knowledge with life" is expected to minimize any adverse impact on teachers, students, and parents.

The 'Connecting knowledge with life' textbook series. *Photo: Hoang Giang*

The policy promoting diverse textbooks was approved by the National Assembly in 2014. This initiative aimed to dismantle the publishing monopoly, grant greater autonomy to teachers, and adopt international educational models. Under this guidance, textbooks ceased to be "mandatory documents," allowing teachers to independently choose teaching materials, provided they aligned with curriculum requirements.

However, numerous challenges emerged following the program's launch in 2020. Most of the nearly two million teachers were unfamiliar with designing their own learning materials. Training efforts were interrupted by the pandemic, and textbook selection largely remained administrative. For parents, increased textbook costs and the use of different sets across regions made reuse difficult, incurring significant social expenses.

Amidst these challenges, in mid-8/2025, the Politburo's Resolution 71, which focuses on breakthroughs in education and training development, mandated the creation of a single, nationwide unified textbook set. Following this, the Government directed its implementation from the next academic year, bringing an end to the "multiple textbook sets" phase.

A unified textbook set is anticipated to ensure uniformity in learning content, simplify testing and evaluation, and reduce social costs. This is also considered a foundational step if Vietnam aims to achieve free textbooks in the future.

However, the challenge extends beyond simply compiling new textbooks or choosing an existing set. It lies in the implementation strategy, specifically how to avoid reverting to a teaching and learning approach that is entirely dependent on textbooks.

Thanh Hang