The new textbooks align with the new curricula. This was stated on August 20 by the Minister of Education of Belarus, Igor Karpenco, during the "Kontury" program on ONT TV channel, as reported by BELTA.
In total, there are over 250 textbooks. Not all of them have been updated yet (41 new textbooks were released this year). The curricula have been fully updated for the new academic year, and methodological recommendations for each subject have been published. "The teacher will clearly understand what to take from the old textbook and what not to take," the minister noted. "The full release of new textbooks will be completed by the end of 2019." Some adjustments may be made during their re-publication – this is an ongoing process, he added.
An open competition is held for the writing of textbooks. Igor Karpenco invited all critics of the published textbooks to participate in it.
Regarding the new curricula, particularly for mathematics, the minister said that "some overly complex things" have been excluded during their formation. At the same time, Igor Karpenco emphasized the importance of teacher training and their ability to use the materials prescribed in the curricula and textbooks.
Concerning the five- and ten-point grading scales, the minister believes that this issue is not simple or straightforward and therefore requires broad discussion, primarily among educators.