Schoolchildren in Belarus are fully provided with textbooks by the start of the academic year - Ministry of Education

12/08/20150 views

Pupils in Belarus have been fully supplied with textbooks and educational aids for the start of the 2015-2016 academic year. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by Lyudmila Khudenko, Deputy Director for Research at the National Education Institute of the Ministry of Education of Belarus, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences.

In the new academic year, 499 titles of textbooks and educational aids will be used in the educational process of general secondary education institutions. Of these, 249 titles are for institutions with Belarusian as the language of instruction, and 250 are for institutions with Russian as the language of instruction.

Among the educational aids are those published for the first time. These include textbooks on the Chinese language for the 10th grade, on the German and French languages for the 7th grade of gymnasiums, and on the English language for the 11th grade of gymnasiums. Additionally, 14 titles of educational aids produced using the Braille tactile system have been published for children with visual impairments. A workbook for fifth-graders on the new subject "Art. National and World Artistic Culture" has been prepared for publication.

By September 1st, 103 titles of textbooks and educational aids have been reprinted. According to Lyudmila Khudenko, each new reprint improves the educational aid. "Experimental testing is organised in general secondary education institutions. All comments received from educators are sent to the National Education Institute, and the educational publication is refined and corrected," said Lyudmila Khudenko.

In accordance with the instructions on the procedure for preparing and issuing educational publications, the period of use of textbooks ranges from 4 to 7 years, depending on the number of academic hours allocated for the study of a particular subject. "If a school subject is studied for 1-2 hours per week, the textbook is used for 5 years. If 4 or more hours are allocated for the study of a school subject, the publication is used for 4 years, and educational publications that are necessary for students to work in class (e.g., problem books and textbooks on labor training for boys and girls) are used for 7 years. Upon expiration of this period, textbooks are reissued," noted Elena Sigaeva, Head of the Educational Publishing Department of the National Institute of Education.

Specialists also dispelled the myth that outdated textbooks are used in schools. Every year, the Ministry of Education approves a document listing textbooks and educational aids suitable for use in the new academic year. If a textbook from the previous year of publication is not included in this list, it is subject to write-off and is not issued to children.

News of Belarus (BELTA)