Mysteries of English textbooks of new general education program

Strange fate

When making a draft of the Textbook Program Renovation Project, the public asked the leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training why the subject of Foreign Languages ​​was not mentioned in the draft.

Later, the Ministry of Education and Training said that the National Foreign Language Project 2020 (Foreign Language Project 2020) is also included in this renovation project. The new program is designed with time for foreign language learning in accordance with the provisions of the 2020 Foreign Language Project.

Thus, according to the common understanding, when the new general education program is widely deployed from the 2020-2021 school year, English books only need to be adjusted to the version that has been piloted by the 2020 Foreign Language Project. . In fact, in the process of compiling the new curriculum, foreign languages ​​are the only subjects that do not use World Bank ODA loans…

In the school year 2020 – 2021, 2021 – 2022, the new program is implemented in grades 1 and 2, public opinion is confused when they do not see the English textbooks of the 2020 Foreign Language Project. Answering this issue, the Management Board The Project on Foreign Languages ​​2020 affirms that the English textbooks of the Project do not have grades 1 and 2; only from grade 3 to grade 12, and put into mass teaching from the school year 2021 – 2022 with grade 6.

However, in fact, for the school year 2021 – 2022, there are still no English textbooks born from this project. In the 2022-2023 school year, grades 3, 7, and 10 will be applied the new program, but up to this point, the Ministry of Education and Training has not yet received an official reply on whether or not the English textbooks of the Foreign Project are available. language 2020.

If not, how does the Ministry explain to the Government and people about the tasks and funding that have been clearly defined in the project for the past decade? And if so, which textbook is it and when people buy textbooks supported by that budget, can they reduce costs in terms of price and be assured of quality? Because this is a compiled and piloted book series of a 10-year foreign language program, according to the new program. This is also the only textbook that has been tested methodically for many years across the country.

Therefore, at this time, when mass implementing the new program, this textbook cannot mysteriously disappear or equate it with all other socialized textbooks in terms of price and quality. Because different from textbooks of other subjects, all processes from program compilation, book compilation, assessment, training, piloting… of the pilot English book are responsible for the Foreign Languages ​​2020 Project. The state budget pays, so parents are looking forward to this set of books to reduce the cost of buying textbooks.

Talking to PV Tien Phong, a representative of the Management Board of the Foreign Language Project 2020 said that currently, the English book compiled by the project is still a pilot book. As for its future fate, it is waiting for the General Education Department to consult the leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Not listed in public list

For grades that have been mass implemented under the new program, English is the subject with the highest number of textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education and Training. Specifically, in grade 3, grade 7, grade 10 all have 5 different English books.

Thus, all 3 classes have up to 15 English books. In the new grade 7 English set applied from this school year, the textbook has 8 books from 4 publishing houses, while other subjects only have 2-3 books. But when announcing the bookshelf of class 1, 2, 3; In the past 6th, 7th and 10th grade, the publishing units have not announced the price of English textbooks.

Not only that, since the first-grade English textbook of the program appeared, it has brought many questions to the academic community as well as the public. In 2019, out of 38 textbooks of educational subjects and activities approved by the Appraisal Council, English was the absolute dominant subject when all 6 textbooks were rated “pass”.

However, the Ministry of Education and Training only approved 32 textbooks of educational subjects and activities without English subjects. The reason is that after the Appraisal Council rated “passed”, there were legal problems because most of the manuscripts of grade 1 English textbooks were compiled by foreign authors. The Ministry has asked publishers to add Vietnamese book editors, because Circular 33 stipulates that textbook editors must “have full citizenship rights, moral qualities and good ideas”.

Because of this regulation, English textbooks from grades 1, 2 to 3, 7, 10 according to the new general education program are facing questions from both teachers and learners when “one side, one gut”. the other way”. Typically, English books in the textbook series “Creative Horizons” of Vietnam Education Publishing House, “Family and Friends (National Edition), “Student book” by author Naomi Simmons (Naomi Simmons). Oxford University Press, UK).

This is a book that has been sold quite a lot in the market before. But after “negotiating”, now with this book series, the editorial team is two Vietnamese authors… Among the first grade English books before there was a “change of name” to suit them. there is only one book, the Vietnamese editor of the textbook series “Learning together to develop capacity” of Vietnam Education Publishing House is Mr. Hoang Van Van.

However, there is public opinion that this single sample textbook is the product of the 2020 Foreign Language Project. But the publisher of the book confirmed that the compilation of English textbooks for grades 1 and 2 is also consistent with that of the foreign language project. The overall philosophy of the textbooks, located in the overall outline of the textbooks, is bound by the principles, the general competency matrix of the subjects in a class and in each grade level. Therefore, there is no such thing as taking the book of the Project to make the book of the enterprise.

The Foreign Language Project 2020 has a total cost of 9,378 billion VND from the state budget and some other sources, the Ministry of Education and Training is the lead agency. By 2017, the project has passed two phases, costing thousands of billions of dong. The State Audit also concluded that there was a great waste in the process of implementing and implementing the Scheme and the results were still too far from expectations. The Ministry of Education and Training has submitted to the Government for promulgation a Decision approving the adjustment and supplementation of the Foreign Language Project 2020 in which the project will continue until 2025.