IT IS upsetting when parents must buy new textbooks for one reason: 2-in-1 textbook-cum-workbooks.

Primary school books such as 'Health Ed by Pearson' and 'Civics and Moral Ed by Panpac' are now published as combined 2-in-1 books.

How many more will be added to the booklist next year?

This new practice has many disadvantages:

• It has made it impossible for older siblings to pass down used textbooks to younger siblings.

   

• It will be impossible to donate used textbooks to NTUC, for example, for its annual used textbooks programme and fewer people will benefit.

   

• It costs unnecessarily more for families with more than one child to buy new textbooks every year.

   

• It is environmentally unfriendly.

Most publishers have also come up with perforated workbooks for the sake of convenience. I am sure the publishers can do something more cost-effective to help reduce the cost to parents.

With more people jobless and facing retrenchment, it would be helpful if textbooks and workbooks are published separately, as was the practice previously. This is more cost-effective and will let us reduce waste, recycle and re-use the books. It is the duty of everyone, including publishers, to save the earth.

What is the Education Ministry's view?

Lee-Huan Ai-Min (Mrs)

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 24 Dec, 2008.