VietNamNet Bridge – The HCM City Education and Training Department has encountered strong public opposition about its proposed $4 trillion e-textbook program.

The department wants students to use tablets rather than printed textbooks.

Professor Nguyen Lan Dung, a renowned scientist and educator, commented on Infonet: “It is not the right time for Vietnam to spend big money to buy tablets for students’ study”. He said it would be a waste of money.

the Giao duc Vietnam newspaper quoted a parent as saying the program smells of money. Meanwhile, another newspaper commented that this is a “utopian” project which costs up to VND4 trillion.

Amid heavy criticism from the public, the leader of the HCM City Education and Training Department has tried to reassure the public by saying the program is still on paper and that the department would still need to think carefully before making any decision on the project.

However, the public has not calmed down. A computer company in HCM City said it believes the city’s education department and AIC, the partner of the education department, in charge of implementing the e-textbook program, were trying to seek profits by selling low-quality tablets to students.

The representative of the company showed evidence that indicated that the tablet to be purchased by parents would be Smart Education, with a 7.85 inch screen, 1024x768 resolution, dual core CPU, 8GB of storage, 3 megapixel main camera, 2MP camera, WiFi connectivity, a battery 3.600mAh, and an Android operating system.

The tablet model has the same features as the one suggested by AIC at a workshop on e-textbooks and tablets for first-, second- and third-graders held in HCM City several days ago by the city’s education department.

However, there is a big difference in the prices of the model shown by the HCM City-based computer company and the model introduced by AIC. The former is priced at VND900,000, while the latter is VND3 million.

Some suggested that the HCM City Education and Training Department and AIC is trying to make money by selling low-cost computers at high prices, especially after some sources discovered that AIC has imported tablets from Taiwan.

Both the HCM City Education and Training Department and AIC have denied the accusation.

Do Minh Hoang, chief secretariat of the department, said the department is not involved in AIC’s import of  tablets from Taiwan.

“The e-textbook program is in discussion and it has not been approved by the city People’s Committee and Ministry of Education and Training. Therefore, no decision has been made about what tablet to buy for the program,” Hoang said.

“It is AIC’s business to buy tablets and use for its purposes,” he added.

Meanwhile, AIC’s CEO Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan said the company imported 3,500 tablets for internal use, while it does not intend to use them for any education projects.

Kim Chi