Hai Phong's free textbook policy wins broad support

Easing education costs

Hai Phong's decision to provide free textbooks from the 2027-28 academic year has been welcomed by parents, students and educators, who say the policy will help reduce education costs and improve access to learning materials.

The policy has been particularly well supported by low-income families. Dang Thi Thu, a resident of Hai Duong Ward with three children attending kindergarten, primary and lower secondary school, said the policy would further ease her family's financial burden after the city introduced free tuition.

Students are also looking forward to the program. Nguyen Hoang Ha, an eighth-grade student at Ngoc Chau Lower Secondary School in Hai Duong Ward, said his parents had told him about the city's decision to provide free textbooks. He said he would take good care of the textbooks, avoid writing or drawing in them, and keep them in good condition so they could be reused by younger students.

Preparing for implementation

To implement the free textbook policy under Politburo Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW dated Aug. 22, 2025 on breakthroughs in education and training development and Government Decree No. 271/2026/ND-CP, Hai Phong's Department of Education and Training has reviewed the number of schools, classes and students, and prepared detailed implementation plans and funding estimates for each level of education before submitting its proposal to the city government.

The Chairman of the Hai Phong People's Committee has approved the department's proposal to provide free textbooks to general education students across the city from the 2027-28 academic year.

Under the policy, each student will be able to borrow one full set of textbooks covering all subjects in their grade's curriculum. At upper secondary schools, demand for textbooks will be estimated because it will depend on students' choice of elective subjects.

Each teacher will also be entitled to borrow one complete set of textbooks covering all grades for the subject he or she teaches.

The initial budget for the program is estimated at more than 241 billion dong.

Le Van Phong, Principal of Hiep Hoa Primary School in Tran Lieu Ward, said the policy reflects the city's strong commitment to supporting students and their families.

Textbooks are essential learning materials, he said, and providing them free of charge will help reduce families' expenses while ensuring students have the books they need for their studies.

With funding, implementation plans and operational arrangements being put in place, the policy is expected to bring tangible benefits to students, ease financial pressure on families, improve education quality and promote equitable access to education.

Hai Phong News

Hai Phong News