SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS

Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education whether he is aware that pupils in some schools were unable to get certain textbooks from their school bookshops or other bookshops and what steps his Ministry will take to ensure that textbooks are readily available either at the school bookshops or other bookstores to avoid unnecessary inconvenience to parents of having to hunt for books.

The Senior Minister of State for Education (Mr Chai Chong Yii) (for the Minister for Home Affairs and Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, we are aware that at the beginning of this school year, some pupils of a few schools had problems in obtaining certain textbooks. This was due mainly to uneven distribution made by publishing firms. The problems were resolved within two weeks.

The following steps are being taken to prevent its recurrence:

1. Principals will be asked to prescribe the textbooks required in June of each year.

2. Relevant publishers will be notified by August, so that sufficient copies could be printed and made available.

3. At the end of the school year, pupils will be issued with booklists. The booklists will include the addresses and telephone numbers of the publishers.

4. Arrangement has been made for all publishers to hold reserve stocks of textbooks.