will request their withdrawal if they do not comply with the law

In full controversy over the content of textbooks and “indoctrination” in the classrooms, the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, has spoken on this matter. “We are going to work to end the indoctrination that the Ministry of Education intends towards all children, especially as we have seen these days with textbooks,” assured Ayuso.

The regional leader informed in a pre-campaign act in Andalusia that she will order the educational inspection of the autonomy to review all the manuals to “request the withdrawal of all those books that contain sectarian material.” The community also posted a Press release where he collects Ayuso’s statements.

From Newtral.es we have contacted teachers’ associations, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Education of the Community of Madrid and textbook publishers to see what the regional Executive can do.

What does the Ayuso Government propose about textbooks?

The Community of Madrid, as stated by its president, is going to present a special plan for the Educational Inspection for the next academic year. Although this is not a novelty, as Esteban Serrano, secretary of organization of ANPE-Madrid, explains to Newtral.es. “The review that the Community of Madrid is going to carry out is one of the powers attributed to it. Among its functions there is one that is to examine and check the academic, pedagogical and administrative documentation of the centers”.

Regional Minister of Education, Enrique Osorioalso referred to this plan so that the books “do not reach the classrooms” (min. 28:50), and affirmed that it will be done when the books are already edited and published, since “the organic law of Education says that the Administrations cannot approve textbooks”. Specifically, the educational law It establishes that “the edition and adoption of textbooks and other materials will not require the prior authorization of the Educational Administration”.

At the moment, there are no more details about the “detailed and urgent” review of the content of the textbooks that Ayuso mentions.

Can an autonomous community withdraw a textbook?

All the autonomous communities have inspection services that are in charge of complying with the law, as stated in the educational legislation. The Ministry of Education explains to Newtral.es that, once the textbooks are finished, “the inspections of each community can supervise the content”, which must be adjusted to the curricula. “Publishers do not receive instructions or supervision during the process, they have freedom of editing,” they point out from Education.

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”.