School without textbook

Textbooks seem to stand in a core position in our schools. Teachers make them mandatory for students, and parents suffer a lot to afford them. To the question why we do automatically need textbooks, Mr. Bushu, teacher in class V says that when every student has his textbook, teaching is easier and takes less time; students just have to open their book and read lessons inside. No need to write the whole lesson on the board again. Mrs.  Arey thinks that once a student has his textbook, he gets used with reading by himself, even at school or at home, especially for reading lessons that would not be over during classes.

Mr. Kamsu even thinks that it is almost impossible for a child to learn without a textbook, especially when it concerns scientific subjects in secondary school. “The teacher scarcely explains everything, at time it is up to the student to learn by himself using his textbook”, he says. Looking at this, we are likely to say that school can’t and shouldn’t do without textbooks, though many students go to school and succeed without them. The scarcity of textbooks on the beginning of this academic year hasn’t hinder class to effectively go on. Going to school is already a challenge for student living in rural areas, far away from schools; with this matter, their situation is worse.

In some schools, students are obliged to have their textbooks to attend the lessons; but sometimes, those are not even used. Kelong, student in 1ere A4, complains, saying that last year, literature teacher obliged them to have the three textbooks on the program. But during the year, they didn’t even go through the first book. This year, the program has changed and he’s wondering what he’s going to do with these textbooks, that are out of program this year. Students and parents are pleading that teachers should do their work without emphasizing so much on the textbook because many students understand better their lessons when the teacher is just teaching. But when teachers are always sending students back to their books, lesss knowledge is taken, with a weak basis that they easily get misplace on these books. Furthermore, we find a lot of mistakes in books and the contents are not up to date. Then, what is the real place of textbooks in our classroom? Parents have started choosing which lessons need a textbook and which doesn’t. Maybe it is the good time for the government to make the point on this issue.

                                                                        ZEBAZE CHOUNNA Annie