Thu, Oct 15, 2009 page8

• Internet: Answer to textbook debate

  • By Huang Der-hsiang 黃德祥
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  After taking office, Minister of Education Wu Ching-chi (吳清基) said that aside from Taipei City and County and Keelung City, other governments may hold the Basic Competence Test for Junior High School Students on their own in future. Wu added that he would not forcibly push the “one guideline, multiple textbooks” (一綱多本) policy — which has been implemented in Taipei City — across the nation.

  Wu’s words were carefully chosen to avoid stirring up trouble. Despite that, the controversy over the junior high school basic competence test and the “one guideline, single textbook” (一綱一本) and “one guideline, multiple textbooks” policies remains and cannot be solved in the short term. In my opinion, the assistance of Internet technology may be the best way of resolving the dispute.

  Advocates of the “one guideline, single textbook” policy assume that no matter how many textbooks there are on the market, students in practice only use one. If the government selects one standard textbook for students, it would not only alleviate the pressure of studying multiple textbooks and the financial burden on parents, but also achieve the goal of fair education. More importantly, it could narrow the knowledge gap between students resulting from different schools using different textbooks as well as problems that publishers have promoting different textbooks.

  On the other hand, those in favor of the “one guideline, multiple textbooks” policy believe the use of multiple textbooks meets the objective of Article 8 of the National Education Act (國民教育法), which states that teachers’ professional expertise and autonomy should be respected.

  The open selection of textbooks by teachers is a manifestation of autonomy and the promotion of diverse learning. More importantly, it could prevent textbook selection from becoming a tool manipulated by a small number of people and that politicians could use to control ideology. The “one guideline, multiple textbooks” policy can encourage positive competition among publishers and ensure the publication of more high-quality textbooks.

  The controversy seems irresolvable as both sides present solid arguments. The education minister could face a dilemma in which he cannot please both sides and then fall into a whirlpool of controversy. In fact, his recent remarks were already indicative of his intention to dodge the issue.

  I propose that the Ministry of Education adopt a “one guideline, Internet text” (一綱網路本) policy to solve the controversy. “One guideline” means textbooks will still be selected in accordance with the guidelines set by the ministry. “Internet text” means the free compiling and downloading of non-copyrighted textbooks from the Internet — a policy that has been adopted by primary and middle schools in South Africa.

  Simply put, textbooks for elementary and junior high schools will be considered “public assets,” which do not belong to any publishers and are open for the public to edit like the Wikipedia. In the initial stage, the ministry could set up a committee consisting of teachers and academics to compile a standard Internet version of textbooks at different levels based on curriculum guidelines. This version would then be open to all teachers in Taiwan to edit as they should be the real textbook editors. In addition, an ad hoc committee would be established to deal with copyright issues.

  Conversely, the ministry could publish one fixed standard version of textbooks and another version that allows editing by the public or teachers. The fixed version would be the official textbooks used in schools, while the other one would be a trial version of open textbooks. Supplementary materials and blueprints of teaching props would be free for download from the Internet. Publishers would be allowed to make hard copies of Internet textbooks and to resell them.

  The copyright on Internet textbooks would rest with the public so that students and parents can freely download them. This policy would solve problems such as the gap between rural and urban areas as well as that between the rich and the poor.

  Internet textbooks, which should be compatible with “electronic books,” would also meet the demand for digital learning. Teachers will only need a projector in a classroom to present their teaching materials. Students all over the world will be able to study freely on the Internet.

  Article 8-2-2 of the act, which stipulates that textbooks for elementary and junior high schools should be selected by schools in academic affairs meetings based on definite criteria in an open manner, should be removed as soon as possible as it is already out of date. The most challenging task for Wu is probably the boycott launched by publishers.

  Taiwan is known for its information technology and should be on the frontline of efforts to digitalize all elementary and junior high school textbooks in the world. The “one guideline, Internet text” policy is not only feasible but also maintains the immediacy and innovation of textbooks that will improve students’ motivation to learn. On the whole, the use of Internet textbooks is an innovative, feasible, environmentally friendly and fair concept.

  Huang Der-hsiang is a professor in the Graduate Program of Professional Development in Education at Dayeh University.

  TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
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