Praise for the textbook...

How can reading and reading comprehension rates be improved? “And if we could attract and retain them—young people—in reading sessions for a few dozen hours, or better yet, a few hundred hours! And what about a thousand hours?”

At the opening of the Edita Forum yesterday at Barcelona's Saló de Cent, Nuno Crato, mathematician and former Portuguese Minister of Education and Science, was clear about it, and he doesn't cheat, or only halfway, as he estimates that young people spend around 10,000 hours in school: "My conclusion is clear: we must focus on schools and demand that they properly educate our young people, teach them to read fluently, and train them to read with comprehension and a critical spirit. 10,000 hours should be enough. But we are failing." The data is staggering, as "around a quarter of 15-year-olds have extreme reading difficulties," and he knows what he's talking about, as during his time as minister, he managed to increase Portugal's score by 44 points in the PISA tests. At least reading rates, especially among young people, have been improving in recent years. "Those who read more can think better, become more open to dialogue, and become more democratic," he concluded.

"We must demand that schools educate our young people well, that they teach them to read fluently and critically; 10,000 hours should be enough."

At an event hosted by Rut Martínez, following a welcome from Barcelona's Culture Councillor, Xavier Marcé; the rector of Pompeu Fabra University, Laia Nadal, who organises the Master's in Publishing; and the president of the Gremi d'Editors de Catalunya, Patrici Tixis, Crato spoke about the importance of education in promoting reading, something that seems obvious but sometimes seems not to be the case for everyone. He also particularly defended the importance of books, yes, but specifically textbooks as a guide to better education.

The former Portuguese minister stated that "the fault lies not with the teachers," and instead pointed to "educational policies that replace teaching and demands with ease and fun," and to "a general environment that disdains textbooks as formatted knowledge, and teachers who use them are seen as lazy, incapable, or uncreative." For him, "textbooks are an introduction to the world of intelligent reading," and "a good textbook is more than just a list of knowledge," as it should be "an essential piece of school equipment, serving teachers, students, and families." "If they are not well made and used well, we are losing a fundamental tool for promoting reading: the effort to make everyone a good reader."

Later, speaking with Sergio Vila-Sanjuán – co-director of Fòrum Edita with Tixis and Javier Aparicio – Crato recalled that Portugal had improved significantly because there was a clear consensus between 2002 and 2015. Only 30% of his proposals remained, but he pointed out that while some changes take time to produce results, others don't. He exemplified this with the importance of exams: "I reinforced them and the effect was immediate, because you have to prepare better, since in education a little bit of pressure is necessary." As a minister, he was demanding and, Vila-Sanjuán recalled, he reintroduced rigor, which Crato embraced, although complaining that education is a special case: "If you go to a restaurant and they don't give you enough food, you complain, whereas in education, students don't complain." He also enlightened those present with the Singapore Method : “They teach mathematics in a systematic, organized, and structured way, and they are also the best at reading... and among the most creative, because creativity depends on knowledge.”