Textbook burning in Venezuela By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 01.26.15 Word Count 786 In this Dec. 11, 2014, photo, public school students draw after class in Caracas, Venezuela. As children head back to school after the winter break, many Venezuelans remain outraged over texts that treat the founder of a deeply divisive socialist revolution with the sort of reverence U.S. textbooks reserve for George Washington. Photo: AP/Fernando Llano CARACAS, Venezuela Students in Venezuela study math by calculating the benefits when the government takes over farms from land owners. English classes practice saying where the late Socialist President Hugo Chavez was born. Social studies lessons explain why the elderly should give him thanks. Messages praising the government in Venezuela's schoolbooks have become yet another point of conflict in this country. Since Chavez won the presidency, the country divided into people who support the government he created, and those that criticize it. Parents recently tossed books into the streets in front of some schools and burned them. Media loyal to the government compared those acts to censorship by the Nazis in 1930s Germany.
New Elections, Same Outcome Chavez, who often criticized the U.S. government, became president of Venezuela in 1998. He turned Venezuela into a socialist country. In a socialist society, the government often sets prices for things and controls how they are bought and sold. When Chavez was president, his government took over many businesses. He was re-elected three times and survived a coup attempt in 2002, but was accused of shutting down his opponents and news media that criticized him. Chavez died in 2013 from cancer, just after winning his fourth election. His vice president took over the government and has continued many of his practices. As children head back to school after winter break, many Venezuelans are still angry about their textbooks. They oppose lessons that treat Chavez in the same way U.S. textbooks treat George Washington. Math problems calculate how much farm production has gone up thanks to the government's takeover of land. Other problems ask how much land the government still has to take back from private owners, or calculate how much shoppers save at stores that receive money from the government. Students learning English have to answer the question: "Where was Hugo Chavez born?" Errors Are Only Part Of The Problem Hector Cuevas was shocked when his son brought home his sixth-grade books. Cuevas, an information technology worker, said the books are changing the country's history and replacing it with the government's version. The books are brainwashing children, he said. Defenders say the books include history that is traditionally left out of grade school education. They add that the books, introduced in 2011, also tie lessons to real-life examples in their socialist country. Minister of Education Hector Rodriguez defended the books and said critics should work with the government to improve the collection. They should read the books and point out errors so the government can correct them, he told a Venezuelan news website. Opponents of the textbooks say errors are not their biggest problem. They say the problem is the books attack the government's opponents and spread propaganda supporting its controversial programs.
No Other Book Options An early edition of the government's social studies book shows a photo of an elderly person writing "Thanks, Chavez" and asks students to explain why. Another book stops an explanation of fractions to praise a food program, which it says was developed by the government to ensure that the poor can eat. While all students receive the books, they are used more often in schools in poor neighborhoods. In those areas, the books are often the only option for teachers. One of those schools is Consuelo Navas Tovar, a high school at the edge of one of the large slums in Venezuela's capital, Caracas. There, students dressed in navy-blue uniforms are crammed into grimy desks in a classroom with bare walls, studying their English textbooks. The lesson has students discuss a government agency known by its initials. One student has to say: "It's a project of FUNDABIT!" The student's partner replies: "That is excellent!" Memories Of Old Textbooks Tomas Guardia, a professor of geometry at the Central University of Venezuela, has spent months recording basic errors he and his colleagues find in math books. One book defines a square as a shape with four sides. But that could also be a rectangle or a rhombus. Guardia held up a social studies book with a photo of Chavez inside, holding a child, with a message about the future of the country. Cuevas, the worried father of a sixth-grader, often pulls out his father's old math textbook to use as a reference for his son. He dreams about a collection of textbooks that would reflect his less-sunny vision of modern Venezuela. He said the books always use exercises like adding up the groceries a mother bought at a store supported by the government, even though getting groceries can take many hours in Venezuela. Cuevas said a real textbook would ask instead how long she spent in line for sugar, meat and everything else she bought.
Quiz 1 Select the paragraph from the section "No Other Book Options" that includes examples of the textbook content some parents find objectionable. 2 Read the sentence from the article. Media loyal to the government compared those acts to censorship by the Nazis in 1930s Germany. Which answer option BEST defines "censorship" as used in the sentence above? the burning of books the oppression of certain groups the suppression of information the destruction of important documents 3 Which sentence from the section "Memories Of Old Textbooks" explains a less favorable aspect of life in Venezuela that is not portrayed in the textbooks? Guardia held up a social studies book with a photo of Chavez inside, holding a child, with a message about the future of the country. He said the books always use exercises like adding up the groceries a mother bought at a store supported by the government, even though getting groceries can take many hours in Venezuela. Tomas Guardia, a professor of geometry at the Central University of Venezuela, has spent months recording basic errors he and his colleagues find in math books. Cuevas, the worried father of a sixth-grader, often pulls out his father's old math textbook to use as a reference for his son.
4 Read the sentence from the article. They say the problem is the books attack the government's opponents and spread propaganda supporting its controversial programs. Which sentence from the section "New Elections, Same Outcome" is an example of the propaganda described above? He was re-elected three times and survived a coup attempt in 2002, but was accused of shutting down his opponents and news media that criticized him. In a socialist society, the government often sets prices for things and controls how they are bought and sold. Other problems ask how much land the government still has to take back from private owners, or calculate how much shoppers save at stores that receive money from the government. As children head back to school after winter break, many Venezuelans are still angry about their textbooks.
Answer Key 1 Select the paragraph from the section "No Other Book Options" that includes examples of the textbook content some parents find objectionable. Paragraph 10: An early edition of the government's social studies book shows a photo of an elderly person writing "Thanks, Chavez" and asks students to explain why. Another book stops an explanation of fractions to praise a food program, which it says was developed by the government to ensure that the poor can eat. 2 Read the sentence from the article. Media loyal to the government compared those acts to censorship by the Nazis in 1930s Germany. Which answer option BEST defines "censorship" as used in the sentence above? the burning of books the oppression of certain groups the suppression of information the destruction of important documents 3 Which sentence from the section "Memories Of Old Textbooks" explains a less favorable aspect of life in Venezuela that is not portrayed in the textbooks? Guardia held up a social studies book with a photo of Chavez inside, holding a child, with a message about the future of the country. He said the books always use exercises like adding up the groceries a mother bought at a store supported by the government, even though getting groceries can take many hours in Venezuela. Tomas Guardia, a professor of geometry at the Central University of Venezuela, has spent months recording basic errors he and his colleagues find in math books. Cuevas, the worried father of a sixth-grader, often pulls out his father's old math textbook to use as a reference for his son.
4 Read the sentence from the article. They say the problem is the books attack the government's opponents and spread propaganda supporting its controversial programs. Which sentence from the section "New Elections, Same Outcome" is an example of the propaganda described above? He was re-elected three times and survived a coup attempt in 2002, but was accused of shutting down his opponents and news media that criticized him. In a socialist society, the government often sets prices for things and controls how they are bought and sold. Other problems ask how much land the government still has to take back from private owners, or calculate how much shoppers save at stores that receive money from the government. As children head back to school after winter break, many Venezuelans are still angry about their textbooks.