Inspection to rule out unauthorized textbooks

Chinese education regulators recently ordered a complete inspection on national curriculum materials used in elementary and middle schools to rule out unauthorized and foreign textbooks to improve the quality of elementary education.

The Chinese Ministry of Education issued a notice on Friday, stipulating that illegal use of textbooks written by schools, foreign textbooks and unauthorized textbooks should be resolutely corrected and the results reported by October 15.

The ministry found that some publishing houses have changed the content of textbooks without permission, and some schools have replaced national curriculum materials with foreign textbooks, or other unauthorized classroom materials.

“This action aims to guarantee the quality of textbooks and education, especially for less developed areas where education might be inadequate,” Wang Sixin, a professor at the Communication University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The ministry also required previously authorized school-written textbooks to undergo a self-inspection and report the results by October 10.

Adjustments made to the textbooks will be reviewed by the ministry. Schools and publishers should complete the revision based on ministry feedback before the spring term of 2019. A finalized version must be authorized before being distributed to students.

Moreover, follow-up inspections and periodic spot checks of teaching materials will be organized, according to the document.

School-selected textbooks vary in quality and a national inspection will be necessary. After all, students have to pass the college entrance examination, Wang said.

Different versions of textbooks will exist as China is a huge country and different areas have different situations, Chu Zhaohui, a research fellow at the National Institute of Education Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The inspection doesn’t necessarily mean one universal version will be used all over China, but it is important to use authorized materials, Wang said.

“Compulsory education covers elementary and middle schools, the key time for young people to learn about national history and traditional culture. The content should be a consistent narrative, otherwise students can be confused by different teachings,” Wang said.