1 distribution and consumption of school material in basque some renewal criteria in the autonomous...

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Distribution and Consumption of School Material in Basque Some renewal criteria in the Autonomous Community of the

Basque Country

Distribution and Consumption of School Material in Basque

Some renewal criteria in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country

(Fryslân, November 6-7)

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Basque Country

This short report is going to consider the distribution and consumption of school material in Basque language from the following four perspectives:

Distribution and consumption from approximately 1980 to 2005

Situation of the textbook loan system around 2006

Proposal to introduce the loan system

Current situation and future perspective

INTRODUCTION

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Basque Country

PURCHASES AND CONSUMPTION OF SCHOOL MATERIAL:Families: school material, particularly textbooksSchools: library material, reference material Administrations: subsidies or grants for pupils coming either from large families or from low-income families.

I. DISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION FROM 1980 TO 2005

AIM OF THE CAPV Initially, the aim was that the price of the textbooks published in Basque were similar to that of the same textbooks (by subject, year, scope of subjects, etc.) published in Spanish.

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PROGRAMME TO PUT THIS AIM INTO ACTION.

EIMA PROGRAMME (ACRONYM OF “EUSKAL IKASMATERIALGINTZA” OR PRODUCTION OF BASQUE LANGUAGE SCHOOL MATERIALS) RUN BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITIES AND RESEARCH.

This programme, mainly intervenes in the spheres of the design and production of school material in Basque. It also has a clear impact in the field of the distribution and consumption of such material.

From 1980 onwards, thousands of school materials have been produced in Basque or translated into Basque in different types of format.(report by Fernando Berrizbeitia)

I. DISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION FROM 1980 TO 2005

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Basque Country

PREVIOUS DEBATE

The call for free textbooks is not new and needs to be put into a wider context, that is, as part of the demand for free education.

PARLIAMENTARY AGREEMENT

In November 2005, an Early Day Motion (Proposición No de Ley) was raised and approved by a large majority of the parliamentary groups, relating to free textbooks.

II. SITUATION OF THE BOOK LOAN SYSTEM CIRCA 2006

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The proposal of the Department included the following aspects: Analysis of the various European textbook loan systems. Analysis of the various textbook loan systems in Spain's Autonomous Communities. Analysis of the various textbook loan systems in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country. An initial programme proposal aimed at progressively extending free textbooks to the compulsory educational levels of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.


PARLIAMENTARY SPEECH OF THE BASQUE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, UNIVERSITIES AND RESEARCH IN MAY 2006

The Basque Government's Minister for Education, Universities and Research submitted in the Basque Parliament in May 2006 the following: a “proposal that allows the funding of school material for pupils in compulsory education in the publicly funded Centres to be combined with education in values by means of respecting the borrowing practices and preserving the book as a cultural asset”.

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II.1. The textbook loan system in Europe

Each state has profiled its own channel of action in the sphere of distribution, sale and consumption of school material, so it is not possible to establish a criterion to be applied everywhere.

General trend to extend, not to restrict, the free material criteria.

TABLE OF COUNTRIES


Presentación de Microsoft PowerPoint

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II.2. The textbook loan system in the Autonomous Communities of the Spanish State.

Two realities: 9 Autonomous Communities WITHOUT textbook

loan system. 8 Autonomous Communities WITH textbook loan

system:

Autonomous Communities without own languageCastilla La Mancha and Andalusia

Autonomous Communities with own language

Galicia and Catalonia


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Basque Country

II.3. The textbook loan system in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country


There were various subsidies to help families to buy textbooks in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (prior to) 2006:

Centres that had introduced a textbook loan system. Centres that had introduced a joint use of textbook system without lending them to the pupils. Centres that had introduced a supplementary material loan system. Local and Provincial Council subsidies. Grants and subsidies from the Department of Education, Universities and Research During the 2005/06 academic year, this Department allocated a total of €9,800,752 for a total of 89,821 pupils, in other words, for 31.52% of the school-age children from 3 to 18 years old

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III.1. Objectives of the renewal

The principal ones being: To reduce significantly family spending on textbooks and

supplementary materials. To work towards free textbooks for lowest-income families. To foster responsibility and looking after educational material. To ensure equal schooling conditions for all pupils. To educate towards rational consumption, by encouraging

sustainable behaviour. To promote educational projects shared and managed by the

educational community. To improve quantitatively and qualitatively the educational resources

available in the educational centres.

III. PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH THE LOAN SYSTEM

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III.2. Stages for the implementation of the programme

7 stages are planned:


2006-07Pilot scheme to assess the implementation of the programme. Ruling of the Department of Education for a total of 50 public primary education centres.

2007-08Generalised implementation of the programme in the first cycle of Primary Education in all public centres.

2008-09Generalised implementation of the programme in years three to six of Primary Education, in other words, the second and third cycle, in all public centres.

2009-10Generalised implementation of the programme in years one to four of Secondary Education in all the public centres of the BAC.

2010-11Generalised implementation of the programme in the first cycle of Primary Education in all subsidised private centres of the BAC.

2011-12Generalised implementation of the programme in the second and third cycle of Primary Education in all subsidised private centres of the BAC.

2012-13Generalised implementation of the programme in Secondary Education in all

subsidised private centres of the BAC.

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III.3. Terms and conditions of the programme

The Department undertakes to allocate funding so that the centres can acquire textbooks. At the same time, it continues with the policy of grants for all those pupils from low income families.

The families have to contribute 25% of the total cost of the textbooks, as a charge to ensure the books are looked after, use the textbooks appropriately and return them to centre at the end of the school year.

The centres are responsible for managing the programme. A Textbook Management and Monitoring Commission will therefore be set up in each centre and will be in charge of overseeing the programme.


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Some comments and suggestions made by various agents: From the Associations of headmasters/headmistresses (SAREAN, BIHE)The arguments in favour of the loan system are related to environmental sustainability, socialisation and appreciation on the part of the public, reducing costs for families and the move towards new technologies. As far as management of the system is concerned, they understand that it will be an extra cost and more work for the centres. Parents associations (EHIGE)They are in favour of the loan system compared with alternative ones such as the book token, because the former involves environmental sustainability and reduces costs for parents, so they can buy other books. They understand that families will have to make some economic contribution.Publishers AssociationAlthough they understand the aim of the Department, they propose maintaining the current system or book token system. They believe that the new system may lead to the closing-down of Basque publishing companies, thereby endangering the Basque language and culture.

IV. CURRENT SITUATION AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

In general, the project has received better criticism from consumers (more specifically, from families) than from publishers and distributors. We will consider this issue later.

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IV.1. Current situation

The initial implementation phases have been slightly modified: During the 2008/09 academic year, the Programme will cover the public centres that teach the primary and secondary cycles of Primary Education (the initial plan was to include the 3rd cycle of Primary in 2008-09).


Objetives of the programme for this school year (2008-09)1. Material to be loaned:

reusable printed material, which is to be individually used by the pupils curriculum material prepared to be used by the pupils individually and which helps to develop the contents of the curriculum. Work books would be included in this point. Curriculum materials prepared by the centres themselves are covered by this Order.

2. The material defined in this point can be developed and presented in another type of medium other than on printed paper. Dictionaries, reading books, software, etc. are not considered to be included in the Programme. The period for using the textbooks is four years, except for the 1st cycle of Primary Education, where the plan use is one academic year.

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IV.2 Prospects of futureIV.2.a) Agreeing basic operational criteria.-Educational levels: Defined matter: compulsory education (6-16 years old)-Types of Centre: Initially public and then subsidised.-Socio-economic level of the parents. The loan system will be generally applied. The grant mechanism will be additionally kept in force to offset. -Educational material type and medium. Type is used to refer to the usual categories (basic, supplementary, reference material…) and to their sub-divisions. Medium refers to printed, audiovisual or software material (including Internet). -Bodies in charge of management. Monitoring Commission-Distribution networks. Purchase recommendation within the centre.

-Whether or not to reuse. 4 year use, except for 1st cycle of Primary (1 year). Difficulties: define type of material; cost; individual renunciation

-Degree of subsidy: Various opinions regarding copyright- Number of users: edition. Combine Department´s social interest with business interests of the publishers.


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IV.2 Prospects of futureIV.2.b) Designing, producing and distributing educational materials in a minority language.

The preparation of educational materials in the Basque Language is subject to supplementary conditioning factors to those prevailing in other bilingual areas with a minority language that is typologically similar to the dominant one, as a result measures have had to be taken, such as production incentives via subsidies. The current lending formula has pivoted nearly exclusively around sale and distribution criteria, thus postponing the inherent issues to the creation and production process of that material. Naturally, the whole “creation (translation), production, distribution and consumption” framework is closely linked, so we believe reflection on the whole matter is necessary.Finally, it should be pointed out that translation materials usually show a reasonably valid behaviour in the case of educational materials with technical contents. Its applicability and efficiency is reduced, albeit, with clarity when the aim is to transmit knowledge or skills that are more directly linked to the real Basque dimension of the curriculum. That is an additional motive to pay special attention to the companies that produce materials in Basque Language with greater emphasis on the creation (not only in translation) of the texts.


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ESKERRIK ASKO


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