Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The 2022-23 school year is thethird year that the entire education and training sector has deployed the 2018general education programme as part of the national education reformstrategy. 

The school year has begun. But a shortage of textbooks, teachers and facilitiesremains in many localities, the national radio broadcaster Voice ofVietnam reports. 

This problem affects not only the progress but also the effectiveness of thenew education programme. 

In particular, a lack of 10th grade textbooks in the first year ofimplementation of the new curriculum at the high school level is causingmany difficulties for both teachers and students.

Students at Hoang Van Thu High School of Hanoi’s Hoang Mai district stilldon't have enough textbooks to study. 

Preparing for the new school year, students have registered to buy textbooks atthe school. But publishing houses and textbook suppliers have so far failed tosupply enough textbooks for students.

"The school has informed students and their families of the lack of atextbook for one subject in the new programme, adding that the school will giveit to students as soon as the textbook is available from the supplier. I alsodon't know when the students will have enough books to study," Nguyen KimOanh, mother of a 10th grader, told Vietnam News. "I have looked atmy child's 10th grade textbook set. It is quite interesting. The content of thetextbook has many innovations and is closer to reality."

The new curriculum and the shortage of textbooks have caused difficulties forstudents.

Nguyen Phuong Anh, a 10th grader, said, "students have a bit of aproblem studying because we have not received the textbooks for the newsubject, Economic and Legal Education. However, the teacher who teaches thissubject already has a textbook and also tries to make it easy for us tounderstand. Learning in class will be easier if we have the book. We can readand see illustration photos and can prepare lessons at home before going toclass."

In some schools, teachers are temporarily using e-books provided by theMinistry of Education and Training (MoET) to teach their students.

Students face difficulties learning while teachers facedifficulties teaching. 

Many teachers say that there are no textbooks so students cannotprepare lessons at home, and they will not be able to review and dohomework after studying, affecting the quality of teaching and learning andfailing to promote students' self-study and self-research skills according tothe goals of the new programme.

HCM City Department of Education and Training has reported that it is stilllacking 7,053 sets of textbooks under the 2018 National Education Programme. 

The department has worked with publishers to ensure enough textbooks forstudents. 

It was expected that students would have enough textbooks before September 16.

Along with difficulties in teaching and learning due to the shortage oftextbooks, a lack of teachers and degraded facilities and teachingequipment are also problems at many schools. 

Teachers and students face many difficulties in subjects that needexperimentation and practice.

Nguyen Van Ngoc, Principal of Thuan My Secondary School in Hanoi,said, "the school still does not have enough equipment for the newcurriculum and has asked the Department of Education to supply more."

In Hoa Binh province, some schools have built classrooms but do not haveequipment, while some schools have classrooms and practical equipment, but donot have teachers to teach those subjects. 

Ngan Thi Lam, Principal of Hang Kia A Primary and Secondary School,said, "the classroom for informatics has been built. However, thereare not enough computers for students."

Xa Van Che, head of Muong Chieng Primary School in Hoa Binh province said theschool had English teachers but didn't have informatics teachers.

At the secondary level, many teachers have to teach two or three subjectsat the same time. They have participated in refresher courses to add newsubject knowledge but the transition from single subject teaching to integratedones requires teachers to make more effort and self-study to be ableto teach according to the requirements of the new curriculum.

At this time, educational institutions across the country are forced toorganise teaching and learning according to their actual conditions.

Assoc. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh, director of the Secondary EducationDepartment under MoET, said the ministry had known about the lack oftextbooks in a few localities. The Ministry would ask the Department ofEducation and Training and publishers to work closely to ensure enoughtextbooks for students, especially in localities such as HCM City./.