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CHAPTER 2. IMPROVEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL CONTENT AND METHOD
1 Maintenance, Improvement and Diversification of Educational Content
(2) Textbooks
b. Textbook Systems in Various Major Countries


The analysis of the textbook systems in the countries for which data are available reveals that procedures for writing and publishing textbooks are widely different from country to country, depending upon the respective educational situations. In terms of the manner in which central or local authorities are involved in the preparation and publishing of textbooks, the procedures can be divided into three types.

In the first type, the central government publishes textbooks. In some cases these centrally published textbooks are compiled by either the central government or local governments. In others, one series is selected from among those textbooks, which have been written by specialists according to criteria prescribed by the government, as in the U.S.S.R.

In the second type, textbooks are authorized or accredited by either central or local governments. In the Federal Republic of Germany each state conducts the same kind of authorization as in Japan. In France, local governments prepare lists of accredited textbooks. In the U.S.A. in general, either state or local governments accredit textbooks. In some states, however, the state education laws provide that state authorities can publish all or part of the textbooks used.

In the third type, textbooks are published independently of public authorities.

The U.K. is one such country. In some countries of this type, governments have the power to prohibit the publication of such textbooks that do no comply with national objectives in education.

Some countries supply compulsory school textbooks free of charge as does Japan. In France and some states of the Federal Republic of Germany, textbooks are lent free of charge. In the U.K., textbooks are kept at school for use by students. Many schools allow students to take them back to their homes. In the U.S.A., the pattern for supply is different from one state to another, but in many states, textbooks are either given or lent to students free.

Table 28. Types of Preparation of Textbooks for Elementary Schools in Various Major Countries


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