Parents confused with the "price matrix" of primary school teaching equipment sets

The price difference is large, from several tens to hundreds of thousands of dong per set.

At the beginning of the school year, millions of primary school parents, especially those in grades 1, 2, and 3, are rushing to buy their children the minimum teaching equipment sets such as the Math Practice - Vietnamese Language set. According to a survey by reporters at a series of large bookstores in Hanoi, each set of primary school learning equipment has many types with different cover designs and prices. At Tien Tho bookstore on Lang Street (Cau Giay, Hanoi), the display area sells a variety of learning equipment sets of many different types. The same set of Math Practice 2, but one set costs 237,000 VND/set, another set costs 165,000 VND, and a product from another publishing company costs only 150,000 VND.

Worried about textbooks and learning equipment running out at the beginning of the school year, Ms. Nguyen Minh Thu (Dong Da, Hanoi) said she had gone to buy some necessary equipment and supplies for her child early, but was confused by the series of different sets of equipment with quite large price differences.

The same minimal set of school supplies comes in many different varieties with large price differences.

According to parents, in many schools, these sets of equipment are being sold together with textbooks. Mr. Nguyen Quang Minh (Nam Tu Liem, Hanoi) said that in the list of textbooks for the beginning of the school year that he just registered to buy for his child, there is a minimum set of school supplies priced at nearly 200,000 VND. Meanwhile, the entire set of textbooks is only 208,000 VND. This parent said that buying the minimum set of school supplies nearly doubled the price of the book set.

Similarly, Ms. Nguyen Thu Hien (Ha Dong, Hanoi) whose child is in grade 2 also said: “The school lists the types of books and learning equipment that need to be purchased for students to register. If the entire set of learning equipment is purchased, the price of the book set will increase by about 300,000 VND. Last school year, most of the time the children studied online at home, at this time they hardly use the above equipment, when they return to school in person, the school requires students to bring this set of equipment to class and leave it in the classroom to study.”

Because the children do not use it much, they are still young and do not have the awareness to preserve it, so they usually only use it for one school year and then throw it away, it is difficult to use it again in the next class, so Ms. Hien also wants to be able to choose cheaper sets that ensure quality.

Comprehensive solutions needed to reduce the price of educational equipment

Mr. Mai Van Trinh, Director of the Department of Facilities (Ministry of Education and Training), said that the Ministry of Education and Training has issued Circular No. 37/2021/TT-BGDDT stipulating the list of minimum teaching equipment in primary schools including: Vietnamese, Mathematics, Foreign Languages, Ethics, Natural and Social Sciences, History and Geography, Information Technology, Technology, Physical Education, Arts (Music, Fine Arts), Experiential Activities and shared equipment.

Mr. Mai Van Trinh, new Director of the Department of Facilities, Ministry of Education and Training.

Regarding the price of learning equipment on the market, Mr. Mai Van Trinh said that depending on the customer segment, manufacturers offer products with different quality and prices. However, all products when put on the market must ensure technical specifications according to standards, safety and necessity. Parents have many different options, depending on the needs of the family, but there is no need to follow the trend of buying too expensive equipment, but should ensure practicality, hygiene and safety, suitable for economic capacity.

The Director of the Department of Facilities (Ministry of Education and Training) also encouraged and honored teachers who were creative and made learning tools and equipment for students in many localities with many difficulties and limitations in economic conditions. In addition, Mr. Mai Van Trinh also called on teachers nationwide to participate in the contest on digital teaching equipment organized by the Ministry of Education and Training.

On the business side, Mr. Mai Van Trinh said that it is necessary to identify education as the top national policy, a common responsibility of the whole society, so manufacturers should have a different vision and responsibility to society, produce products with practical meaning, ensure hygiene, safety and have solutions to reduce product costs, reduce pressure on parents and students.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Ngu Duy Anh, Chairman of the Vietnam Educational Equipment Association, said that learning equipment sets are not items that require declaration or price appraisal. In addition, each manufacturer has a different business strategy, with different scale, production costs, designs, quality, size, and types of raw materials, so the price will be different.

Mr. Ngu Duy Anh, Chairman of Vietnam Educational Equipment Association

According to Mr. Ngu Duy Anh, these are products serving a special target group - students - so solutions from manufacturers are needed to reduce prices: "How to reduce them requires a comprehensive set of solutions from state management agencies such as including the list of teaching equipment in price declaration, businesses and supply companies also need to aim to save raw materials, reduce sales costs... Particularly at the Vietnam Educational Equipment Association, in the coming time, there will be programs to encourage manufacturing units to reduce sales discounts for suppliers in the association so that the selling prices of units in the association are lower than those of units outside the association to create a competitive advantage as well as share the burden for parents and students".

Mr. Ngu Duy Anh also said that currently there are many sets of learning equipment with different prices and qualities, but educational equipment products when brought into schools must ensure that they meet the teaching and learning requirements of the program, in addition to ensuring the safety of students as well as ensuring environmental hygiene. Mr. Duy Anh is concerned that if there is no functional unit, which should be the specialized units of the local Department of Education and Training, to organize the assessment or inspection, and orient the introduction of some of the most optimal products of the same type, parents and students will be very confused when choosing the right product.

Ms. Nguyen Thu Huong, a teacher with many years of experience teaching primary school in Hai Duong, said that every year the school reviews the minimum learning equipment in the library. The classes using these sets of equipment are quite young and do not have the awareness to preserve them, so after each year, each set is damaged or some details are lost.

“To save on shopping costs, every year teachers review each set of school supplies, select the details in each set to make a complete set, and order a new set if the remaining parts are missing. Currently on the market there are many sets of supplies with different thicknesses, some are made of plastic, some are made of laminated paper, but all meet the needs of teaching according to the program and ensure environmental hygiene. Therefore, we still choose products with guaranteed quality, safe for children and meet the right learning requirements. For parents who want to buy them for their children to study at home, teachers also advise to shop according to the family's conditions, but it is not necessary to buy sets that are too expensive, to avoid waste", Ms. Huong shared.

According to VOV