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

Full Story

As a parent, the writer should be willing to spend whatever it takes to make sure her child has ALL the textbooks required instead of complaining about the older sibling not being able to pass the book down to his younger sibling.
WHAT KIND OF PARENT ARE YOU ANYWAY???? You should be happy that your child is able to go to school in the first place! Don't you know that there are many children in third world countries that are not able to go to school simply because there is no schoool to go to????
YES, LADIES & GENTLEMEN, YET ANOTHER "WULIAO" SINGAPOREAN WITH TOO MUCH TIME ON HER HANDS TO COMPLAIN! COMPLAIN! COMPLAIN!

I think Mrs Lee-Huan has a point to make. If you have three school going children in tow, you will know the costs of buying school uniforms, textbooks, school buses..

I agree that the writer has an absolutely good point there! School books are already very expensive these days. What if other publishers were to follow suit and soon same subject's textbook and workbook were to be combined into 1?

It’s certainly very clever of those publishers to have ‘geng-ed’ to come up with the 2-in-1 combination. This would mean that they're sure to have huge profits every year bcos parents will have no more chance to save $$$ and will have no more choice but to purchase all books needed!!!

I’ve just bought my son’s school books a few days ago and was shocked that despite having a few text books passed down from his older sibling and omitting as many optional items as possible, I still have to pay 100+ for all his other books. I dread to think how much I would have to pay if I have to purchase the full set of them.

dnalc - Agree with you.

Every end of the year is most $$$ worrying period. Yes! School uniforms, school books, school shoe, etc, etc…! Lucky for me, I don’t have to worry about school bus fees.

How to heed govt’s advice to have more children???

I totally reject the comments made by kmlm0630. The issue is not with the textbooks, but with the workbooks' incorporation that render these books unable to be reused (be it passed to siblings, donated or sold as second-hand books). I shall argue against your assertions.

One, the issue of "willing to spend whatever it takes." It completely ignores judging the worth of your purchase. Unless the textbook undergoes major revisions every year to significantly improve its content such that it makes sense to get new ones every time along with the workbooks (note that even if it satisfies this criterion, it will cause more distress since it seriously makes me doubt the content and worth of the textbooks that were previously published), otherwise it will just be a waste of money. If the changes in the textbook are minor or even absent, then the writer is merely purchasing another textbook without any apparent addition to its worth. Please be informed that how the textbooks are reused is immaterial here as one should only deliberate on the need to purchase a new textbook rather than a used book based on the merits and problems in doing so.

Two, the issue of "kind of parent." Contrary to your belief, Mrs Lee-Huan has actually demonstrated frugality (a virtue), which is starkly absent in your case and draws a close resemblance to the insensitive argument of "only peanuts" (ie. costs of the new textbooks).

Three, the issue of "children in third world countries." It sounds hypocritical to me for someone to draw a comparison with underprivileged children after just slamming a valid concern of a parent, especially those parents who have difficulties coping with higher education costs.

kmlm0630 must be working for the publishing companies which intentionally do this kinds of tricks to increase their sales! Do you notice that they change their editions so frequently...just to make sure that you cannot hand down from one year to another! It's all in their plan.

Originally Posted by rocky_pang

Unless the textbook undergoes major revisions every year to significantly improve its content such that it makes sense to get new ones every time along with the workbooks (note that even if it satisfies this criterion, it will cause more distress since it seriously makes me doubt the content and worth of the textbooks that were previously published), otherwise it will just be a waste of money.

knowledge - however "scientific" - is still based on "faith", that what we currently know is based on what we can perceive or have perceived, and what we know/can perceive/have perceived is "true", which may be overturned or modified/refined subsequently. in fact, many people omit that a lot of what we deem as "knowledge" or even "truth" is socially constructed. we can only judge the value of what we (deem to) know now without the benefit of hindsight, which is always 20/20.

I have 3 school-going children. Every year, I have to worry about how much I have to spend for their textbooks and uniforms. NTUC is trying to help needy people get old textbooks, but I understand that sometimes one could only find a few reusable textbooks. Textbooks are more expensive for Secondary schools. I hope the party responsible don't keep changing the contents of the textbooks. Sometimes, you find only 1 or 2 pages different from the old one. Then how to take old textbooks. Talking about 'environmental friendly and recycling"?????

You Can Say Whatever You Want About Me. I Still Say That As A Parent, You Should Be Responsible And Willing Enough To Spend Whatever It Takes To Get The School Books For Your Child. Granted, If There Are Second Hand Books To Get, By All Means Do So To Reduce Cost.

The Govt Has Made The Syllabus In Such A Way That The Child Uses The Pages In The Book As Their Worksheets. I Remember As A Child Going To Primary School, We Had Twice The Number Of Books That The Kids Have These Days. For My Children, The English Textbook Is Non Existent! So What Are You People Complaining About????????yes, You Have To Spend More On Textbooks But Do Bear In Mind That The Number Of Textbooks Have Been Dratistically Reduced By More Than Half!!!!!!!!!!