The issue of the content of the textbooks

The textbook is used to assist the teacher while transmitting knowledge to the students. This book is conceived according to the pedagogic objectives designed by the government. Authors will then write their books and defend their value toward the ministers charged to choose the textbooks of the academic year. Generally the government studies all the textbooks proposed to him and chooses the best according to the objectives it has set down. This year with the coming back of the one textbook policy, many textbooks have been discovered for the first time. Teachers, students as well as parents express their opinions about these new textbooks.

In fact some of these books have stated been pointed out as not been serious for they are full of mistakes. How can a student learn with a textbooks full of mistakes? He will surely end up only more confused. Indeed when the compass is problematic he can only misplace his users. Added to this, contents of some textbooks issue some revolt toward parents and civil society. They are said to be contrary to our customs and presenting deviant behaviours. Some parents have even decided to boycott some of these books and put on pressure, some teachers have confessed that they will not teach parts of these contents. Under the complaint of the civil society authors justify themselves as having followed the pedagogic objectives of the government. On its side the government justifies himself saying that he was obliged to choose at least one textbook among those proposed to him and thus choose the least bad. This does not answer this issue as now we are wondering on how the content of a textbook is chosen and more especially how is the textbook even chosen. Many say that it is through the force of a lobbying that some textbooks find themselves on the program. Does the team in charge of checking out the contents of these books seriously do their work?

Let’s even says the pedagogic objectives were respected by the authors, this will mean that our customs are in danger. They are been legally watching away on the behalf of western habits. But is school not supposed to protect our own history and life style. In fact the textbook should even instead valorise them, makes them known to the new the generation and to the international public. The textbooks should reflect the seriousness and professionalism of our education system. When they are full of mistakes as what we observe how the international viewer can respect our education and gives it its right value. Government should really think of adjusting this problem for it negatively affects our education policies. And knowing that development passes through education we should also keep in mind that as development reflects our society so do education.

                                                                ZEBAZE CHOUNNA Annie