GCSE Spanish revision guide branded ‘indoctrination’ for trans rights example
A GCSE Spanish revision guide has come under fire from critics (Getty Images, stock)
A GCSE Spanish revision guide published by Pearson has become a point of contention over an example sentence referring to people who “fight for transgender rights”.
The textbook, designed for students taking the Edexcel GCSE in Spanish, includes the phrase among several example responses to help students describe someone they admire.
The example translates “he/she fights/fought for transgender rights” into Spanish alongside other suggested reasons for admiring someone, such as being a good role model or helping others.
Critics accused the publisher of “indoctrination”, with Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at Sex Matters, telling The Telegraph in a 27 June statement: “[Pearson’s] agenda could not be more obvious, as all the… examples… are couched vaguely, apart from the one expressing admiration for someone who fought for transgender rights. This is yet another example that reveals how extensive and subtle the indoctrination of children in schools is.”
The controversy comes after Pearson previously faced criticism over updated guidance allowing students to use gender-neutral pronouns and inclusive spellings in French, Spanish and German GCSE exams.
Pearson has rejected suggestions that the textbook is promoting a particular viewpoint. A Pearson spokesperson told The Telegraph in a 27 June statement: “The Pearson Edexcel GCSE Spanish Higher textbook was written by subject and education experts to help students develop their Spanish communication skills across a range of real-world contexts.
“The pages are vocabulary reference pages, which bring together a broad range of words and phrases that help students understand the language they may encounter in everyday life. The phrases are examples, rather than required responses to learn or use. We understand the importance of our learning materials and the interest learners, teachers and parents take in our content. Trust and quality are core to everything we do, so we continue to review our content regularly to ensure that these resources remain relevant and aligned with UK education standards,” they concluded.
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