Textbooks, reference books, and school supplies for the first grade were introduced to parents by An Phong Primary School, District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, for a total price of VND807,000 upon enrollment.
The cost of this VND807,000 textbook is not only unique to An Phong school, but many other schools also offer the same cost for about 23 different categories of books.
“I don’t understand what kind of reform made by the educational sector, but just last year the child entering grade 1 only spent about VND200,000 on textbooks.
This year, there are schools that straightforwardly crushed VND800,000 of all kinds of books, 4 times as much as last year!”
Journalist Ha Phan reported with two photos of the price of a textbook set of VND800,000, the same price at the two ends of the country, that is An Phong Primary School, District 8, Ho Chi Minh City and Kim Luong Primary School in Kim Thanh district, Hai Duong province.
“Even drugs or gold can’t jump as fast as, Minister Nha!
People are seriously suffering from Covid-19 but they find a way to squeeze more this way?
But for my children, there are not only books but school uniforms and notebooks … It is true that autumn for payment, all kinds of payment, no payment reduction but jumped one after another.
Parents continue to pay for school fees! What reform are you conducting?!” journalist Ha Phan complained.
“Oh, I’m going to die. VND800,000/set of the 1st grade books. If we have 2-3 children, I cannot send them to schools. I do not understand how parents in the countryside can get money to buy books for their children? Last years, the book set for the first grade was only about VND100,000. In grade 12, my children just bought more than VND200,000,” a parent commented.
Some parents with children in grade 1 at An Phong school said that when completing the admission procedures, they received a notice of the amount of money to buy books and learning tools for VND807,000. They were surprised because the book price was so high, including 10 blank books, while the first grade students only needed 3 volumes. Some books that are considered references are also on the bulletin board.
Being afraid that book stores have unsufficient books, some parents have to register at the school. “For low-income employees, this is not a small amount at the beginning of the year,” said one parent.
Look at the list of bookshelves provided by parents, besides the textbooks, there are also many reference books and other optional books. In particular, the I-Learn Smart Start English book costs up to VND146,000, Math practice and Vietnamese Canh Dieu textbooks cost up to VND73,400.
The school’s parents also shared on a number of forums and called the first grade book series they just bought “an expensive set.” But unexpectedly received the sharing of parents in many other localities, that they have to spend more money, up to over VND1 million to have books for their children to study. For families in need, this is a burden at the beginning of the new school year.
Thousands of comments were received with angry attitudes, from surprise, anger to resentment:
FB Doan Trang said: “When I bought the first-grade book set in the school, I asked 3 times because I thought I heard it wrong – VND857,000.”
FB Nguyen Quoc Chinh: “This time, Mr. Tam in Tay Ninh has to catch four poisonous snakes to have enough money to buy books for their children.”
FB Tran Phuc: “My child went to grade 1 and looked at a pile of books, I thought he was doing a university graduation thesis.”
FB Pham Dinh Long
“A shool bag simili VND350,000 raised to VND3.5 million. A medical device with VND7 billion was raised to VND40 billion. Then there’s nothing strange about a set of first grade textbooks priced at VND800,000.”
FB HongDiep Nguyen:
People think that the educational reform will reduce workload but infact more works for children and more payments for their parents! They think the children’s brains act like a machine.”
FB Nguyen Kim Dung
Vietnam’s contingent doing educational work is so bad because Vietnam is a poor country but it does not save for people. After finishing school, students discard all the old books because other cannot use their textbooks.
Germany is a rich country that still keeps textbooks to study for many students for many years. Students who fail to keep textbooks fit for other students they have to pay fines. That is the way they educate people to treasure books from an early age. It’s so simple that our knowledge doesn’t even want to learn.
FB Ho Thi Hai Au comments: Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training is the most dirty and cruel one!
FB Andy Ho: Seeing this series of books parents will know children do not need to bring notebooks anymore. All pre-printed and sold at super profitable heavenly prices.
FB Tinh Nguyendang: This is the “super of superious” of state officials who know to get money from parents’ money!
FB Anh Dang: Parents have to to buy a whole set but their children need to use only about half of it.
FB Tuan Nguyen: The more books, the higher the commission, the 40 books will probably be next year!
FB Binh Ngo: The more books they print, the more money they can pocket, but how can a child’s mind be crammed with so many books in grade 1?
FB Ton That Nhat Quang: I always get up and pick up and dig a tunnel with great hatred
Why is it difficult to end the situation of “selling beer with food“?
Selling textbooks with reference books is a story that is rescheduled every new school year.
In previous years, while each set of textbooks only cost about VND100,000 depending on the class, but in reality, parents have to spend 4-5 times more money to buy books for their children.
Information from the issuers, they usually offer discount commissions for the schools. The higher the price per set of books, the higher commission will take the school administration. Therefore, the schools are also “enthusiastic” in helping publishers sell books to parents.
On the other hand, there are dozens of publishing houses and school supplies in the array of reference books and school supplies, and they also try to put them in schools. Each unit only needs to put in a few books, some tools, the amount parents have to spend to buy books for their children is also up.
Not to mention the new school year revenues, especially the textbooks and school supplies for their children, parents had to spend a large amount of money. While not all families have enough money and are willing to spend. Most of them fall into the position of “not having many options due to the” ambiguity “in the distribution and information to parents of schools and issuers.
On the Facebook page has 325 thousand followers, businessman Le Hoai Anh commented:
“How many books can adults read a year? 6-year-olds are crammed with 22 books a year.
Can’t believe what a 6-year-old kid in grade 1 needs for 22 books for?
Is it possible that the education ministry intends to add more books for more money? More textbooks and they dont care what students will learn from those books?
The education reform produces more books and by that way they and book printers will get more money.
They force students to write all of them into books so they will sell new books next year, which is a terrible waste. Nothing new on the books but only draw sublime questions that adults have to think long to solve.
Forcing children to read and study all these books will create a whole generation of nearsightedness because the printed contents are both fuzzy and confusing.
Their raw spirit, talents, and kindergartens are so miserable. Dirty food, dirty dust, dirty air, dirty water, a dirty education and everything dirty. How will our children survive in the future? Thinking that emotional and resentful!
I object to the Vietnamese educational sector cramming children with unnecessary textbooks and knowledge so early! Don’t steal the childhood of our children and grandchildren like that!” businessman Le Hoai Anh spoke up.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
