THE education minister, Maxine Henry Wilson, last night told teachers not to pressure parents with long lists of supplementary texts for primary students, suggesting that the free textbooks provided to students between grades one and six in government schools were adequate for the curriculum.

“Do not burden parents with unnecessary purchases at this time,” Henry Wilson said in a radio and television broadcast.

The rising cost of textbooks has been a major issue of public debate, and some controversy, in recent weeks as parents prepared for the start of the new school year over the last fortnight.

The government Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) claimed that its surveys showed that most textbooks have doubled in price over the past year, but local education publishers and book sellers insist that the hikes, for the most part, has been less than half that amount.

But with the focus on a sharp rising in inflation following a steep downward spiral in the Jamaican dollar earlier this year, Henry-Wilson, in her back-to-school broadcast, was keen to assure parents that the government was aware of their concerns and, where possible, attempting to cushion the effects.

The government school textbook project was one area highlighted by Henry-Wilson.

Under this project, the government annually prints more than two million text books for about 312,000 children enrolled between grades one and six in about 800 primary, all-age and junior high schools. Each student receives about seven texts.

Henry-Wilson said her ministry was aware that some teachers in some grades provide lists for supplementary texts.

“Our concern,” she said, “is the burden that the purchase of additional texts places on the parents, when to our certain knowledge, the texts provided by the ministry are adequate for the specific subject areas.

“We know that our teachers have the best interest of our children at heart. We, therefore, appeal to them to make optimal use of texts provided through the ministry.”

In the past, local printers have bid on this project, but the education ministry complained about late delivery. This year, using a lower bid as the basis for its decision, it yanked the contract from Jamaican printers and awarded it to an American firm.

The books will be available after the school term has started. The education ministry blames its own lateness in putting the bid to tender — a point about which Jamaican printers have complained in the past. They argue that the bid should be out at the start of the calendar year rather than sometime between May and June.

But Henry Wilson appeared confident yesterday that there would be no substantial disruption because of lateness.

“The texts will be available shortly in the schools,” she said.

The minister also reminded parents of the textbook rental scheme at the secondary level with an access fee of only $1,000.

“Through this programme, the core texts are provided on a rental basis,” she said. “All students who receive assistance from the government automatically qualify to receive books.”

Books were now being delivered to schools, Henry-Wilson said.

The minister also reminded parents that children at government primary schools were not required to pay fees. “Where schools request contributions for maintenance or for the functioning of special groups such as parent/teachers’ associations, such charges are not compulsory and cannot result in students being excluded from classes,” she said.

At secondary schools, parents pay about 20 per cent of the cost of tuition, but parents in need can apply for special assistance to waive the fee. The government has also introduced its new poverty safety net project — Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) — to secondary schools, but there have been reports of a slow take-up because some parents found the questionnaires about home and social conditions intrusive. The government had projected 40,000 students to benefit.

Although the original application date has passed, Henry-Wilson said late applications would be received up to September 15. “After that date, no further extensions will be given and no more applications will be taken.”

Under the PATH scheme each family member gets a fixed fortnightly income, but to maintain the benefit they have to attend regular health clinics and children have to maintain a minimum 80 per cent attendance record at school.

Henry-Wilson said that for students who had applied through this programme, schools were now being advised of the outcome. Parents were told to proceed with their children’s registration at school. In the event that applications were turned down, there will be an appeal process which will be announced soon.

The minister also said that the government met all needs for equipment and furniture for grades one through three but had fallen short in other grades. It would continue to do so through the school year, she said, “as resources allow”.

She urged parents to become seriously involved in their children’s education. “Time spent is more important than money spent,” Henry-Wilson said.