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More rises tipped as publishers are urged to be sensitive to plight of parents

Prices of new school textbooks have risen at twice the rate of last year's increases, the Consumer Council revealed yesterday.

Publishers attributed the increases largely to curriculum reforms, which meant they had to produce new books.

The Education and Manpower Bureau admitted there had been changes to the curriculum and said future reforms would mean added changes to textbooks. But it called on publishers to be sensitive to the financial situation of parents.

In a survey of 36 publishers and 631 textbooks, the Consumer Council found price increases averaged 3 per cent for primary school books and 3.7 per cent in the secondary sector. This compares with 1.8 per cent and 1.5 per cent respectively last year. The price of one computer studies textbook rose 11.8 per cent.

The council's publicity and community relations chairman, Matthew Ng,  said the increase was 'out of proportion to that of the Composite Consumer Price Index', which was up only 0.4 per cent against last year.

Dr Ng said publishers blamed rising paper costs and other overheads, as well as increases in research costs caused by 'frequent curriculum reform'. Growing use of second-hand or photocopied textbooks and the low birth rate were also raised as problems.

'Schools should be more willing to use their bargaining power in the interest of students and use low price, as well as quality of content, as determining factors in choosing textbooks,' Dr Ng said.

The owner of the Hon Wing Book Company, Simon Shek Hon-kei, said curriculum changes since 1997 had led to parents  spending more on textbooks.

'Students have to study more subjects than before - Putonghua, computers and civic education - all boys have to study cookery, which was only for girls in the past, while girls have to study design and technology, which used to be only for boys,' he said.

'Parents naturally have to pay more when their children have to study more subjects and students cannot use their elder siblings' books because of syllabus changes.'

The Education and Manpower Bureau said there was a need for new books in some subjects because of curriculum changes. Reforms in the future, introducing  six years' of secondary school followed by four years of university, would lead to more new books.

A bureau spokeswoman said: 'The curriculum must be amended from time to time to keep up with new developments in our society, and the syllabus for some subjects must be changed as a result.

The Chinese curriculum for Form 4 students and the English syllabus for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education  Examination have been changed for the coming year, as has the English curriculum for primary pupils.

But the bureau said publishers should control production costs and set lower prices to lighten parents' financial burden.

Shanghai Commercial Bank has launched a  12-month, interest-free instalment programme for the purchase of textbooks, amounting to at least $600 at two  book stores.  HSBC offers six-month interest-free instalments for each purchase of at least $1,000 at some  bookshops.

Meanwhile, World Vision Hong Kong has called for donations of used books for its annual charity sale. Books are being collected at  Jusco stores.



Textbook costs jump at double rate of CPI