Circular 25/2020/TT-BGDDT on the selection of textbooks in general education institutions

CIRCULAR

On the selection of textbooks in general education institutions

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Pursuant to the Law on Education dated June 14, 2019;

Pursuant to Decree No. 69/2017/ND-CP dated May 25, 2017 of the Government defining the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training;

At the proposal of the Director of the Primary Education Department and the Director of the Secondary Education Department,

The Minister of Education and Training hereby promulgates the Circular on the selection of textbooks in general education institutions.

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of regulation and subjects of application

1. This Circular specifies the selection of textbooks in general education institutions.

2. This Circular applies to primary schools, lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools, multi-level general education schools, and education institutions implementing general education programs (hereinafter collectively referred to as general education institutions), and related organizations and individuals.

Article 2. Principles of selecting textbooks

1. Textbooks shall be selected from the list of textbooks approved by the Minister of Education and Training for sustainable use in general education institutions.

2. For each subject and educational activity (hereinafter collectively referred to as subject) of each grade, one textbook or several textbooks can be selected.

3. The selection must be public, transparent, and lawful.

Article 3. Textbook selection criteria

1. Appropriateness considering the local social and economic situation.

2. Compatibility with the education infrastructure of the local general education institutions.

Chapter II

ORGANIZATION AND TASKS OF TEXTBOOK SELECTION COUNCILS

Article 4. Textbook Selection Councils

1. Textbook Selection Councils (hereinafter collectively referred to as the Councils) shall be established by the People’s Committee of any province or municipality (hereinafter collectively referred to as the provincial-level People's Committee) and tasked to assist such provincial-level People's Committee in selecting the textbooks.

2. For each subject at each grade, 01 (one) Council shall be established and composed of an odd number of members, at least 15 (fifteen), of which at least 2/3 (two-thirds) shall be heads of academic departments and teachers directly teaching such subject of such grade.

3. A Council shall be tasked to:

a) Select textbooks in accordance with this Circular and the textbook selection criteria specified by the provincial-level People’s Committee;

b) Propose a list of textbooks for use in the general education institution to the provincial-level People's Committee;

c) Report to the provincial-level People's Committee on its performance of tasks and absorption of comments on the selection of textbooks from the general education institutions.

Article 5. Composition of the Council and standards of the Council’s members

1. The Council’s Chairperson shall be the Director of the provincial-level Department of Education and Training or the Department of Education, Science, and Technology (hereinafter collectively referred to as the provincial-level Department of Education and Training)

2. The Council’s Vice Chairperson shall be the Deputy Director of the provincial-level Departments of Education and Training.

3. The Council’s Secretary shall be a specialist of a professional unit of the provincial-level Departments of Education and Training or of the Divisions of Education and Training of an urban district, rural district, town, or provincial city (hereinafter collectively referred to as the district-level Department of Education and Training) or the leader of the general education institution at each grade.

4. The Council’s other members shall be leaders or specialists of professional units of the provincial-level Departments of Education and Training or the district-level Department of Education and Training; leaders, heads of academic departments, and teachers of various general education institutions in the province/municipality. To be a member of the Council, a teacher must have at least 05 (five) years of experience teaching in general education institutions.

5. Those who have participated in, or directed the compilation, appraisal, publishing, and printing of textbooks in the list of textbooks approved by the Minister of Education and Training may not be members of a Council.

Article 6. Tasks and powers of the Council’s members

1. The Council's Chairperson is tasked and granted the powers to:

a) Take responsibility to the provincial-level People's Committee for the Council’s operations, formulate and implement the work plan of the Council;

b) Assign tasks to the Council’s Vice Chairperson, Secretary, and other members;

c) Handle problems arising in the course of selecting textbooks, which fall under his/her competence, or propose the handling to the provincial-level People's Committee;

d) Perform other tasks and exercise other powers as specified at Points a and b, Clause 4 of this Article.

2. The Council’s Vice Chairperson is tasked and granted the powers to:

a) Take responsibility for the task assigned to him/her by the Council's Chairperson;

b) Perform other tasks and exercise other powers as specified at Points a, b and d, Clause 4 of this Article.

3. The Council's Secretary is tasked and granted the powers to:

a) Assist the Council's Chairperson in preparing the work agenda and arranging the work schedule for the Council under its work plan;

b) Write the summary of comments of the Council’s members;

c) Perform other tasks and exercise other powers as specified at Points a, b and d, Clause 4 of this Article.

4. The Council's other members are tasked and granted the powers to:

a) Study and evaluate the textbook selection criteria as well as the textbooks and related materials provided by the Council; attend all meetings held by the Council;

b) Have written comments and evaluations with respect to the selection of textbooks; have opinions and take accountability for their opinions, comments, and evaluations with respect to the selection of textbooks;

c) Report their impossibility to attend the Council’s meeting and obtain the approval for absence from the meeting from the Council's Chairperson, send their written comments and evaluations with respect to the selection of textbooks to the Council's Chairperson before the meeting is held; the absent member’s written comments and evaluations shall be taken into account in the first ballot of the Council to select textbooks;

d) Perform other tasks assigned to them by the Council's Chairperson.

Article 7. Working principles of the Council

1. The Council shall work on the principles of democratic centralism, objectivity, and transparency.

2. A meeting of the Council shall be considered valid when it is attended by at least 3/4 (three-fourths) of the Council’s members, including its Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Secretary.

3. The conclusions of each meeting of the Council shall be recorded in the minutes containing all opinions of the members and read out to the Council. Such minutes shall be signed by all of the Council’s members who attend the meeting.

Chapter III

SELECTION OF TEXTBOOKS

Article 8. Textbook selection process

1. Each general education institution selects and proposes textbooks:

a) According to the textbook selection criteria, academic departments of each general education institution shall make their teachers study, discuss and evaluate textbooks of the respective subjects they are teaching; hold ballots to select at least 01 (one) textbook for each subject; submit to the head of the general education institution the lists of textbooks proposed by the respective academic departments. A list of textbooks proposed by an academic department shall be signed off by the head of such academic department and teachers involved in the selection;

b) The general education institution then holds a meeting to be attended by its head and deputy head(s), heads of its academic departments, and representatives of its teacher-parent association to discuss and evaluate the textbooks, taking the lists of textbooks proposed by the academic departments into consideration; select 01 (one) textbook for each subject; submit to provincial-level Department of Education and Training (in case of upper secondary schools) or district-level Division of Education and Training (in case of primary schools and lower secondary schools) the list of textbooks proposed by the general education institution. The list of textbooks proposed by the general education institution shall bear a signature of the head of such general education institution and heads of its academic departments.

2. The district-level Division of Education and Training shall summarize and submit to the provincial-level Department of Education and Training the list of textbooks proposed by the general education institutions under the ambit of its management in descending order in terms of preference by the general education institutions.

3. The provincial-level Department of Education and Training shall summarize and transfer to the Council the list of textbooks proposed by the general education institutions in descending order in terms of preference.

4. The Textbook Selection Council selects the textbooks:

a) At least 07 (seven) days prior to the Council’s first meeting, the Council’s Chairperson shall assign the Council’s members to study, comment on, and evaluate the textbooks according to the selection criteria.

b) The Council then holds a meeting to discuss and evaluate textbooks, taking the list of textbooks proposed by the general education institutions into consideration. By secret ballot, one textbook or several textbooks may be selected for each subject. The textbooks that may be selected shall be voted in favor by more than 1/2 (half) of the voters. In the case where, for any subject, no textbook is voted in favor by more than 1/2 (half) of the voters, the Council shall discuss and hold other ballots until for each subject at least 01 (one) textbook is voted in favor by more than 1/2 (half) of the voters;

c) The Council summarizes the results thereof into the minutes to be signed by the Council’s members attending the meeting and then transfers it to the provincial-level Department of Education and Training.

5. The provincial-level Department of Education and Training shall summarize the results of textbook selection by the Councils and submit the summary to the provincial-level People's Committee for consideration and decision.

6. Taking the results of textbook selection by the Councils submitted by the provincial-level Department of Education and Training into consideration, the provincial-level People's Committee shall decide to approve the list of textbooks for use in the local general education institutions.

Article 9. Announcement of the approved list of textbooks

At least 05 (five) months before the start of a new school year, provincial-level People's Committees shall publish on the mass media the list of textbooks approved for use in local general education institutions; direct the respective provincial-level Departments of Education and Training to notify the approved list of textbooks to local general education institutions.

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION

Article 10. Provincial-level People's Committees shall

1. Decide to establish the Councils; establish new Councils annually, of which 1/3 (one-third) of the members have joined the Councils in the preceding years.

2. Specify textbook selection criteria aligning with the local social and economic situation and the education infrastructure of the local general education institutions in line with the textbook selection criteria specified in Article 3 of this Circular.

3. Direct the education authorities to guide the general education institutions to select and propose textbooks, and use approved textbooks in accordance with the law.

4. Submit to the Ministry of Education and Training the list of textbooks selected; inform in writing the publishers of textbooks selected on the list and the quantity of textbooks that each publisher needs to supply to local general education institutions at the same time the list of approved textbooks is published as specified in Article 9 of this Circular.

5. Consider and decide to adjust and supplement the list of textbooks, taking into account the report summarizing the recommendations for adjustment and supplementation of the list of textbooks from the general education institutions. The adjustment and supplementation of the list of textbooks shall be conducted in the same manner as the selection of textbooks in accordance with this Circular.

6. Allocate funding sources and ensure infrastructure for the Councils and general education institutions under the ambit of their management to conduct the selection of textbooks.

7. Make available and transparent information about the selection of textbooks and take accountability to the public about the decision to select textbooks.

Article 11. Provincial-level Departments of Education and Training shall

1. Assist the respective provincial-level People's Committees in selecting the textbooks, including:

a) Advising the respective provincial-level People’s Committees on specifying textbook selection criteria pursuant to Article 3 of this Circular.

b) Proposing lists of members of the Councils;

c) Estimating funding and infrastructure for the Councils and general education institutions under the ambit of their management to conduct the selection of textbooks;

d) Organizing operations of the Council in accordance with this Circular.

2. Notify general education institutions of the list of textbooks approved by the Minister of Education and Training; guide the general education institutions under the ambit of their management to select and propose lists of textbooks.

3. Notify general education institutions under the ambit of their management of the lists of textbooks approved by the respective provincial-level People's Committee and guide the use of such textbooks in accordance with the law.

4. Summarize recommendations for adjustment and supplementation of the lists of textbooks from general education institutions, and submit them to the respective provincial-level People's Committees.

Article 12. People’s Committees of urban districts, rural districts, towns, and provincial cities shall

1. Direct the provincial-level Departments of Education and Training to guide the general education institutions under the ambit of their management to propose lists of textbooks; summarize recommendations for adjustment and supplementation of the lists of textbooks from general education institutions under the ambit of their management.

2. Allocate funding sources and ensure infrastructure for the general education institutions under the ambit of their management to conduct the textbook selection and propose textbooks.

Article 13. District-level Divisions of Education and Training shall

1. Guide the general education institutions under the ambit of their management to conduct the textbook selection and propose textbooks. Summarize the lists of textbooks proposed by general education institutions under the ambit of their management, and submit them to the respective provincial-level Departments of Education and Training.

2. Direct the general education institutions under the ambit of their management to notify the teachers, the students and their parents of the lists of textbooks approved by the respective provincial-level People's Committee and guide the use of such textbooks in accordance with the law.

3. Summarize recommendations for adjustment and supplementation of the lists of textbooks from general education institutions under the ambit of their management, and report them to the respective provincial-level Departments of Education and Training.

4. Make proposals for funding and infrastructure for the general education institutions under the ambit of their management to conduct the textbook selection and propose textbooks to the People’s Committees of the respective urban districts, rural districts, towns, and provincial cities.

Article 14. General education institutions shall

1. Conduct the selection of textbooks as specified in Clause 1, Article 8 of this Circular.

2. Notify the lists of textbooks approved by the respective provincial-level People's Committees to the teachers, the students and their parents.

3. Effectively use the textbooks approved by the respective provincial-level People's Committees in teaching and learning in accordance with the law.

4. Summarize the recommendations of the teachers, the students and the parents for the adjustment and supplementation of the lists of textbooks approved by the respective provincial-level People's Committees and submit them to the respective provincial-level Departments of Education and Training (in case of upper secondary schools) or district-level Divisions of Education and Training (in case of primary schools and lower secondary schools).

Chapter V

IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS

Article 15. Effect

1. This Circular takes effect on November 10, 2020.

2. This Circular replaces Circular 01/2020/TT-BGDDT dated January 30, 2020 of the Minister of Education and Training.

Article 16. Responsibilities for implementation

The Chief of the Office, Director of the Primary Education Department, Director of the Secondary Education Department, and heads of related units under the Ministry of Education and Training; chairpersons of People’s Committees at all levels, directors of provincial-level Departments of Education and Training, heads of district-level Divisions of Education and Training, heads of general education institutions, and related organizations and individuals shall implement this Circular./.