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I recall the struggles to get the money to fulfill this list... If education is free but books uniforms and other auxiliary fees hurt....
Parents On Hunt For Books As New School Year Approaches
WITH THE new school year less than one month away, parents are out in their numbers trying to secure books and stationery for their children.
Many have found the cost for books too high and, in some cases, way above levels that the education ministry had suggested.
Using 2012 prices as a benchmark, the Ministry of Education has suggested that the spending on supplementary books should not exceed $15,147 for students in grades seven to nine.
However, parents who have a child attending Jamaica College, or a Cornwall College student in grades seven to nine could pay more than $20,000 for books on their lists.
The ministry's estimated figure for grades 10 and 11 is $17,657.
Parents of Glenmuir High or Cornwall College students in these grades could pay well over $30,000 for the books.
Tashana Johnson, retail coordinator for Kingston Bookshop, Springs Plaza, noted that the increased prices are correlated to the increased face value of the US dollar.
Education Minister Ronald Thwaites had appealed to school administrators not to increase the financial burden on parents by asking them to buy non-essential books. Thwaites said schools have been provided with a list of suggested supplementary books.
But speaking with The Gleaner following a news team's visits to various bookshops, Thwaites said he "regrets that the strong advice given to schools to be restrained in their book lists has apparently not been heeded".
He reiterated that: "Teachers and principals should take time with parents especially in these hard times".
In the meantime, the minister is also advising parents to be smart when shopping for their children's school items.
"Don't go out and spend all that money because the books may not be needed at this stage (or) at all, because they are being asked to buy books which they don't use," the minister said.
Parents On Hunt For Books As New School Year Approaches
WITH THE new school year less than one month away, parents are out in their numbers trying to secure books and stationery for their children.
Many have found the cost for books too high and, in some cases, way above levels that the education ministry had suggested.
Using 2012 prices as a benchmark, the Ministry of Education has suggested that the spending on supplementary books should not exceed $15,147 for students in grades seven to nine.
However, parents who have a child attending Jamaica College, or a Cornwall College student in grades seven to nine could pay more than $20,000 for books on their lists.
The ministry's estimated figure for grades 10 and 11 is $17,657.
Parents of Glenmuir High or Cornwall College students in these grades could pay well over $30,000 for the books.
Tashana Johnson, retail coordinator for Kingston Bookshop, Springs Plaza, noted that the increased prices are correlated to the increased face value of the US dollar.
Education Minister Ronald Thwaites had appealed to school administrators not to increase the financial burden on parents by asking them to buy non-essential books. Thwaites said schools have been provided with a list of suggested supplementary books.
But speaking with The Gleaner following a news team's visits to various bookshops, Thwaites said he "regrets that the strong advice given to schools to be restrained in their book lists has apparently not been heeded".
He reiterated that: "Teachers and principals should take time with parents especially in these hard times".
In the meantime, the minister is also advising parents to be smart when shopping for their children's school items.
"Don't go out and spend all that money because the books may not be needed at this stage (or) at all, because they are being asked to buy books which they don't use," the minister said.
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