The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has called on school book publishers to review their marketing and sales strategies to show greater sensitivity in recognising the pressures facing parents in the face of rising unemployment and lower wages.
The union has also called on the Department of Education and Skills to introduce protocols in the area with special reference to the frequency of new editions of text books.
In addition, a finding from a TUI survey of principals shows the huge effects that the recession is having on families financially.
The union’s conference finishes today at the Brandon Hotel, Tralee, Co Kerry.
Speaking today, TUI President Bernie Ruane said:
“Our members are reporting with increasing frequency that tactics used by publishing companies are leaving schools with little option but to use the very latest edition of textbooks.”
“In both Junior and Leaving Certificate cycles, new editions of books are released every other year even when no syllabus change has taken place, and in many cases content has only been slightly reorganised as opposed to changed. This makes it very difficult for each student in a particular class group to obtain the same version of particular editions. The use of multiple editions is clearly detrimental to quality teaching and learning, with teachers losing a significant amount of class time providing clarifications to students.”
“Some publishers now publish new editions containing worksheets, notes for online content or updated content on a topic. However, teachers believe that these could be published separately from the main textbook and sold to schools at a much lesser charge. Such an approach would allow schools and families to recycle the main edition of a textbook, saving money for parents, ensuring that teachers would have access to new resources while the publishers would still have a ready market for the newer material. As somebody quoted to me recently, is there any need for a history book to change regularly when the events of World War I and World War II remain the same?”
Digital issues
“This constant updating and review of written textbooks draws sharp attention to the continued inadequate access to the hardware and software that would enable a much greater and more effective use of digital media and internet access in the classroom. As long as there is uneven and limited access to information technology, publishers will be able to find creative ways to maintain a demand for new editions even if the cost is unjustifiably high.”
Publishing practices
“Parents should be clear on what is happening – some publishers have adopted a stance that makes it almost impossible for teachers to stay with a particular edition of a textbook for any longer than one cycle. This practice should be challenged by the Department of Education and Skills by way of introducing protocols around publishing practices. We know that education is far from free in Ireland but the business community has a responsibility to keep costs down. Needless to say, this impacts worse on the unemployed and people with large families.”
Moratorium also having bad effect
“An added concern is that the moratorium on appointments to public service posts has resulted in many schools losing the administrative post that would previously have organised and administered book rental schemes within schools, will lead to further restrictions in the area. The organisation of the book rental scheme in a school must be very sensitively, carefully and discreetly handled to ensure that the most disadvantaged students benefit most in terms of alleviating the cost of books. This cannot be done without the staff to manage and implement the book rental scheme.”