Reading Text books Interculturally, Helpdesk for Intercultural Evaluation of Learning Materials Available to Purchase

Using the words of Lies Sercu in National Helpdesks for Intercultural Learning Materials: A Guide line, ‘Immigration, tolerance... integration, ethnicity, race... discrimination, exclusion... equal opportunities, multicultural... These are just some of the beacons guiding a debate on diversity, which is sweeping through public life in North America and Europe, and of which echoes can be heard in many other parts of the world’. As part of the process of border falls and due to a number of transitions taking place in Bulgarian society on a number of levels, many of the above listed “hot issues” be come relevant to Bulgarian society of today and many more will gain relevance in the future. Multicultural and intercultural issues, which have been recurrent motifs in present day public debates, also, logically, find reflection in educational policy making, since education in general, and especially the state, obligatory schooling system, is seen as a key location for influencing developments in society. To a great extent reflecting the above‐outlined tendencies, in several countries in Europe a number of National Helpdesks are founded. In general, Helpdesks address themselves to teachers, tacher trainers, text book authors, publishers, policy makers. Their purpose is to provide practical advice to educational practitioners related to pursuing the objectives of intercultural education. The primary focus of their work falls on teaching materials and media, mainly on text books, since, as empirical studies have established, it is what teachers predominantly use in their daily practice. As legal entities, being NGOs, Helpdesks position themselves proactively and become manifestations of a democratic, pluralist and civil society.