In a year of legislative changes in education, the price of textbooks hardly increases

The National Association of Editors of Textbooks and Teaching Materials (ANELE) has presented a report that highlights that the price of textbooks remains, despite being a year of changes. Of changes because with the implementation of the LOMCE, the books of the Primary and Secondary students will be changed over two school years.

But despite this 'price maintenance', if there has been a 0.8 percent increase, little according to the publishing industry, given the investments made to adapt the manuals to the new curricula

Textbooks in Spain are subject to two different price regimes: Fixed or single price, determined by the publisher, which is applicable to books for Early Childhood Education and Non-Compulsory Middle School (Baccalaureate and Vocational Training); and Free Price, and therefore variable, which establishes the retailer for books destined for compulsory education (Primary Education and ESO).

More spending on textbooks per family

The negative evolution of the market in recent years has meant a notable reduction in the total sale of copies and purchase by students, which has an immediate impact on the reduction of print runs and, consequently, on the cost per copy, since it is necessary to pass on the fixed costs among many less copies.

In their report, the editors of educational books once again emphasize the importance that the reduction and even disappearance of public aid is having in the evolution of the real expense of families in textbooks, which may have an effect on an increase of family spending. And beyond that, in the average expenditure per student that, in five years has gone from € 121.56 to € 91.15.

According to the editors, this is no good news for the much desired quality of education. But if we take into account that several international studies have established a direct correlation between the existence of books in homes and the results of students in evaluations such as those of PISA.

In a free and personal contribution, it is true that fewer books are bought, but from what I am seeing it is because of a few years now, it is because they have re-established loan systems between families.

This year and next nonetheless, it will not be possible for the students of the courses in which the new Law is progressively implanted, since children who are in a higher course, will not have used those same books.

On the other hand, and we have talked about this here, the correlation that is established between books and good results is not only referred to textbooks, but to books in general (usable, yes).

New law, new books

The editors confirm that after announcing appeals before the courts against the Law and the Royal Decrees that develop it, some communities have clearly indicated that the new curricula will not be implemented in their territory. Others suggest it and take measures that make implementation difficult, even if they do not recognize it openly. Several have opted for a magic formula: the Law will be implemented, but the books cannot be changed and the previous curricula remain valid and, thus, as many variations as there are communities.

The ANELE Report notes that, in this context, publishers have had to do large investments to prepare books appropriate to the new State curricula: curricula that are hardly compatible due to their approach with the ones currently in force, without knowing what their actual level of implementation will be.

Given this situation, the editors affirm that regardless of whether or not they agree with the Law in order to achieve its objectives, teachers and students must have teaching and pedagogical materials in line with the new planned model.

Textbooks and other curricular materials are the most effective and almost unique vehicle for the proposals of an Educational Law to reach all teachers, to whose information and even training they contribute decisively. Through them, the teachers know in depth the new curricula and the new didactic proposals. That without taking into account the social, cultural and scientific changes, as well as didactic and pedagogical, that books must be collected regularly, to avoid their obsolescence.

The publishers that are part of ANELE, 95% of the specialized editorial offer, has published a total of 31,806 titles in paper support in all official languages, of which 12,760 correspond to student books, the only ones that are taken into account for the calculation of the evolution of prices, as they are the ones that most directly affect family spending.

And what about digital books?

The digital edition for education in Spain continues its development at a more than reasonable pace, as evidenced by the figures in the ANELE report. The composition of the catalog of digital educational books has increased by almost 100%. This development is not just numerical, digital textbooks made in Spain are getting richer, more versatile and easier to handle.

The editors continue to insist on the need to reduce the VAT on digital books that currently stands at 21%, compared to 4% on paper books to achieve greater progress in the digital development of classrooms.

In this sense, the publishers again claim the coordination of different efforts and projects that allows a better use of scarce economic resources and also overcome the divorce between administrative policies and school reality.

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