The Department of Education of the Capital City convened a press briefing on September 10 to address two pressing challenges facing Mongolia’s schools at the start of the academic year: the shortage of textbooks and the persistent deficit of qualified teachers.

At the briefing, Kh.Tamiraa, Head of the Investment Department at the Ministry of Education, outlined the government’s efforts to expand educational infrastructure. According to Kh.Tamiraa, 175 construction projects are currently being carried out nationwide with funding from the state budget. “For this academic year, we planned to put 72 new schools and kindergartens into operation and supplied them with desks, chairs, and essential equipment. To date, 17 of these facilities have already been completed and opened. In addition, seven schools and kindergartens funded by Ulaanbaatar’s city investment program have been provided with the necessary furniture and equipment,” the head said.

While investment in infrastructure is moving forward, a more immediate and widespread concern lies with textbooks. T.Nyam-Ochir, Head of the General Authority for Education, noted that primary school students continue to receive textbooks free of charge, while middle and high school students must rent them through school libraries. Yet the current shortage has raised serious concerns. “No child should be left without textbooks. Schools cannot distribute them through lotteries or other selective methods, as this would risk excluding orphans, children in state care, and students from low-income families,” he stressed.

Currently, textbook rental fees for middle and high school students range from 38,000 to 48,000 MNT per year, while the full purchase price of a textbook set stands between 94,000 and 129,000 MNT. Individual textbooks are priced at 2,600 MNT each. To ease the financial burden, parents may choose to pay in installments or defer payment. For greater accessibility, textbooks can also be ordered online through aplus.mn.

Education officials acknowledged that despite progress in expanding school infrastructure and securing funding for equipment, the dual pressures of limited textbook availability and a shortage of teachers continue to weigh heavily on Mongolia’s education system. Unless addressed swiftly, these challenges risk widening inequality among students and undermining the quality of learning at a critical moment for the nation’s future.