Single-textbook policy is one step from censorship
International Publishers Association
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IPA Press Release

"One size does not fit all". Single textbook policy will hurt South Africa's pupils and publishers.


Geneva/Johannesburg, 20 November 2014

South Africa's proposed single textbook policy will cause irreparable damage to both educational outcomes and a fragile publishing infrastructure.

The IPA, along with twenty-one South African organisations representing teachers, publishers and authors, has written to South Africa's Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, expressing serious concerns about the draft National Policy for the Provisioning and Management of Learning and Teaching Support Materials. 

The law proposes to do away with the national catalogue of eight textbooks per subject per grade, and to approve only one book per subject per grade. The IPA fears that this would cause considerable damage to both educational outcomes and South Africa's fragile, but vital, publishing industry.

Kate McCallum, former Chair of the Publishers' Association of South Africa and author of the letter, described the planned single textbook policy as "one step away from censorship. There is no rainbow with only one colour, and a single textbook will not meet the widely differing needs of South African pupils. International experience shows that a multi-text environment is educationally richer. Teachers are best placed to assess material and choose what is appropriate for their classes. To remove from teachers the professional decision as to which 'tools' to use is to diminish their professional capacity."

The letter highlights the devastating impact a single-textbook policy would have on South Africa's publishing industry, where educational publishers contribute 66% (R2.8 billion) of industry turnover. Ms McCallum predicts that "moving to a single-book system will reduce the number of educational publishers from 30 to 2 or 3, and the number of textbook authors from 12,000 to 150. The damage to the publishing industry in terms of jobs and skills lost will be incalculable."

IPA Secretary General Jens Bammel commented that "in education, one size never fits all. The best educational material comes from local entrepreneurial publishers operating in a competitive marketplace. Enlightened policies harness market-driven innovation to the advantage of students and educational outcomes."

The IPA has set out its response to South Africa's draft policy in a document which can be accessed here.
 


Note to Editors

  • The International Publishers Association is the international federation of national publishers associations, representing all aspects of book and journal publishing from around the world. IPA is an industry association with a human rights mandate. It fights against censorship and promotes copyright, literacy and freedom to publish, around the world. www.internationalpublishers.org