Vietnam Education Ministry Refutes Claim of 2 Textbook Sets for North, South

Leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and the Vietnam Education Publishing House have recently confirmed that there is no such thing as two separate textbooks for the northern and southern parts of the country, state media reported. The statement was made in rebuttal to recent reports by the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) newspaper that two sets of textbooks for the North and the South will be completed within this year. Vu Van Hung, General Director of the Vietnam Education Publishing House, affirmed that such information is incorrect and the agency will soon issue specific response on this matter. Nguyen Vinh Hien, Deputy Minister of the MoET, also noted that the proposals to reform textbooks comply with program guidelines. The controversy surrounding the issue stems from worries that the two separate textbooks might cause a deeper regional divide between Vietnam’s northern and southern population. However, according to a Resolution passed by the National Assembly in November 2014, Vietnam is set to implement a “one educational program, many textbooks” policy. The textbook writing process will then be conducted by various agencies, publishing houses and individuals. (vnexpress.net Feb 15)