Antigua : Six out of 10 schoolchildren show utter disregard for costly textbooks – racking up a $5 million bill for government and taxpayers this year.
Book scheme manager at the Board of Education, Priscilla Simon, told the Media she’s not happy to report so many students have either damaged or lost books given to them at the start of every school year.
It is a problem that exists in both primary and secondary schools and both public and private institutions, she noted.
“We do have a lot of damaged books returned and books not being returned every year. The problem is not so great in private schools like it is in the public schools. And while it may seem greater in secondary schools, because at that level the students get more books, I’d say it is equally concerning at both levels,” Simon said.
Students in primary schools get an average six to eight textbooks while students in the secondary department are given 19 to 25 books depending on the class level.
This year the Board had to fork out some $5 million for books to 48 private and public secondary schools, executive secretary of the Board, D Gisele Isaac, had said earlier. She did not indicate whether it was a greater sum than usual.
The board, book managers and school officials have always demanded parents/students cover the textbooks, but Simon said many do not comply.
According to Simon, the education board is looking at ways to encourage students to take better care of the books they are expected to return to schools at the end of every academic year.
Those books are redistributed to a new batch of students at the start of the first term.
She said books are usually phased out every three years, but once they are in good condition and a new edition has not been produced, they remain in the system.
In some cases, even when a new edition is produced, the old version can still be used as long as the changes are not significant.
One such strategy being mulled to influence better care of textbooks, Simon said, is to partner with schools to award the student who took best care of the books throughout the school year.
Additionally, Isaac is calling on students to desist from damaging furniture and breaking school windows.
Isaac said the destruction of school property is an insult to those paying Education Levy that provides the funds needed to purchase school supplies.
