Publishers reject criticism of Latvian textbook quality

Publishers have rejected criticism of textbook quality, while teachers’ representatives have called for stricter oversight, LSM reported. Schools may buy textbooks with state or municipal funds only if they have been approved as sufficiently good by the State Education and Development Agency.

Education and Science Minister Ilze Indriksone has repeatedly said that textbooks are not of a high enough quality. Publishers, however, disagree and say problems are partly caused by unclear education standards and constant changes to the education system.

Mārtiņš Gribusts, head of the Lielvārds publishing house, said that if the minister or ministry specialists believed a publication was not of sufficient quality, they should identify it and explain precisely what was wrong. Lielvārds rarely receives criticism of its work, he said.

Gribusts said parents sometimes complained that textbooks used concepts that were too complicated, although the concepts complied with the education standard.

Vija Kilbloka, owner of the Zvaigzne ABC publishing house, also rejected the criticism. She pointed to books that had received awards or had been translated and published in other countries.

However, the Latvian Education and Science Workers’ Trade Union has also raised concerns about textbook quality. Last year, the union asked the Saeima Education, Culture and Science Committee to invite textbook publishers to an open discussion, but the committee did not respond to the request.

LIZDA chairwoman Inga Vanaga said the quality of published materials was not always adequate. She pointed to books that did not last even one school year and to sets containing a textbook and workbook that cost more than ten euros but could be used for only one school year and by one student.

Vanaga said publishers also had to be held responsible because resources for teaching materials remained limited.

The article’s summary said that workbooks might no longer be approved, that textbook content was affected by uncertainty in the education standard and that continual changes were causing losses for publishers. The medium term budget provides for lower funding for textbook purchases next year, and the trade union plans to ask for an increase.