Improving educational quality project : what happens to the textbooks?

The study reveals that while textbooks have the capacity to greatly improve the quality of primary education in the country, that the way in which they are managed at the school level and the content of the books themselves will ultimately determine their educational value. When teachers had an adequate supply of textbooks, the books were distributed to children for in-school and home use, and when in short supply were more likely to be kept at school, where they were rationed out to only the most promising students, further crippling the progress of less skilled students. Interviews with teachers revealed their desire and need for textbooks that include thorough information for teaching the lessons, including background knowledge and vocabulary, tools for assessing pupils" readiness, strategies for presenting the lesson and monitoring pupils" progress, exercises (with answers provided) for pupil practice, and so forth. Much of this information is needed for the teachers" as well as the students" edification, as many of the former are not confident in their own skills. Also, teachers felt more illustrations would enhance class discussion and vocabulary building; and that textbooks with harder and even water-resistant covers would have greater longevity. Finally, headmasters played a crucial role in textbook use; when they encouraged teachers to abandon traditional teaching methods and use textbooks instead, and when they assuaged teachers" fears that they themselves might have to pay for lost books, teachers were more likely to distribute the books in their classrooms. Includes references.