Ho Chi Minh City to spend nearly $11mn on textbooks for students

The free textbook program is among a range of measures the city is adopting to support students and prepare for the new academic year, which starts in September, according to a report by the municipal Department of Education and Training on the implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution 71.

The resolution requires a breakthrough in education and training development.

Under a plan issued by the municipal People's Committee, schools will organize the textbook borrow-and-return initiative in a coordinated manner before the new academic year, ensuring that all books are delivered to the right beneficiaries.

Those eligible include students at public and private schools.

The policy will also extend to learners in continuing education programs, as well as participants in literacy education courses.

Ho Tan Minh, chief of the office of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper on Tuesday afternoon that heads of educational institutions must continue reviewing students' demand for textbook loans to ensure that 100 percent of the students who need books can borrow them in accordance with regulations.

Under the city's plan, schools have been assigned to purchase initial textbook supplies for the 2026-27 school year to ensure timely delivery to students.

The purchases must be conducted publicly and transparently and comply with regulations on bidding and procurement.

In recent days, many parents in the city have reported being unable to buy complete sets of textbooks for their children because some bookstores have run out of stock.

Ngo Van Hoan, deputy general director of Vietnam Education Publishing House, attributed the shortages at some outlets to a surge in demand for additional books and a lack of coordination in schools' textbook registration.

Some schools have not placed centralized orders while waiting for the free-textbook policy to be implemented.