Newtral and Mediawise launch a course against online disinformation
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For its part, the Madrid Ministry of Education explains that the autonomous communities “do not decide or propose the textbooks, the centers choose with respect to the offer of the publishers.” The school curriculum is drawn up by the State and the autonomous communities: 60% of the minimum teachings (50% in communities with a co-official language) are set by the Ministry, while the rest is the responsibility of the autonomous communities.
If the inspection services consider that a text contradicts some aspect established in the curriculum, they submit the conclusion to the Regional Ministry of Education. These are the ones in charge of contacting the publishers so that the content is corrected or withdrawn. Nevertheless, “the last word has the contentious-administrative courtwhich will analyze the case and pass judgment”, they assure Newtral.es from Education, to which they add that the Ministry has neither powers nor responsibilities in this process.
As they explain to Newtral.es from the National Association of Book and Teaching Material Publishers (Anele), “if any book incurs a lack of scientific rigor or is not adapted to the current curriculum, it should be corrected or replaced.” However, the association emphasizes that in recent years “there has been no complaint for inadequacy of textbooks.”
Are the regional curricula published?
Serrano explains that, at the moment, one of the main problems is the delay in the publication of the regional curricula. In fact, the Community of Madrid has not presented the official document. “Many publishers are working with the state royal decree”, points out the organization secretary of ANPE-Madrid, so, for the moment, the inspection can only check if it complies with it. As Serrano clarifies, the ideal is that this revision of the textbooks that Ayuso mentions be done as soon as possible to be able to solve the possible imbalances before the economic disbursement is made.
Rosa Luengo, director of Editorial Creation at the company Edelvives, recalls that with the previous educational law (LOMCE), approved at the end of 2013, the Community of Madrid approved its curriculum in summer 2014. “The schools had already bought the books in May, but in September they were not adapted to the regional curriculum, so each publisher proposed different strategies: create additional material, replace the books…”, says Luengo. The Director of Editorial Creation also points out that it is “very rare” for revisions to be made. “Only Andalusia checks the books in its gratuity program. The publisher sends the manuals and they examine it, ”explains Luengo, to which he adds that the autonomies may make some kind of allegation.
How do you analyze the possible “indoctrination” that Ayuso mentions in the textbooks?
Luengo considers that the term “indoctrination” is very subjective, “it is not known if they will develop guidelines to take them into account or not.” The editorial director recalls that it is the centers that have the power to choose the books, there is no purchase by the State.
For his part, Serrano believes that “books should be aseptic, as they have been until now, without entering into value judgments.” However, from the point of view of the organization secretary of ANPE-Madrid, “attention is being diverted from other problems that should be the focus, such as school failure and dropout rates, improving academic results, coexistence in centers…”. Serrano insists on launching a message of tranquility and confidence in the teaching staff outside the controversy: “In the classrooms there is no indoctrination”.
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