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Publishers have all the right materials to help school and university pupils cope with the current disruption to learning caused by the coronavirus pandemic—but more funding is needed to get them into the hands of learners, new Publishers Association president Annie Callanan has said.
In a wide-ranging interview for The Bookseller, Callanan noted that both schools and universities are currently pivoting to distance learning, with some institutions—notably the University of Cambridge—announcing that lectures will be conducted online only for the entirety of the next academic year.
“Our members have materials that can absolutely support the distance learning agenda in the current disruption, but it’s a matter of getting these materials to [school and college pupils],” said Callanan. “Publishers have already provided considerable discounts on these products to help make them affordable, but additional funding can really help the industry maintain continuity of learning.”
She noted that there is “a bit of experimentation” going on around what constitutes learning—“turn on the TV, everyone’s experimenting with it”—but that is no substitute for publishers’ expertise, she argues.
“Our materials are not an experiment. They are proven to work and can be provided electronically, but they can also be provided for those who cannot access online materials, which is absolutely true for disadvantaged communities, and the print [editions] work just as well. It might be a time to experiment a little bit, but it’s also a time to invest in the tried and true, and in what we know works,” she said. “What everyone is concerned about right now is the learning loss, the time that’s lost because children are not in the most effective environment [for learning]. At least we can be sure that they are in sound hands in terms of what materials are used. It’s not the time to skimp on these materials.”
Other priorities for the PA during the coronavirus disruption include pressing for an extension on the interest-free period for Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans from one to two years, to reflect the longer timeline needed for publishers to bring books to market, as well as the reopening of bookshops and more clarity on the government's upcoming furloughing plans.
But Callanan is optimistic about the industry's ability to get through the crisis, saying: "“If the right actions are taken, I feel absolutely positive and optimistic because we are one of the world’s most resilient professions, and we’ve been around for centuries."
Read the full interview with Callanan here.