Education Chief Pledges Action on Textbook Costs Amid School Year Preparations
RTHK · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Education Secretary Choi Yeung Lai has pledged active monitoring of textbook pricing as Hong Kong's new school year approaches. Speaking on RTHK's Saturday Accountability program, Choi said her bureau has examined reports of textbook lists costing up to HK$7,000 and found essential textbooks alone still require HK$4,000 to HK$5,000, even after excluding maps, dictionaries and workbooks. The government has been communicating with publishers to encourage lower-cost production methods.
Key Points
- Education Secretary Choi Yeung Lai urged students to adopt a positive attitude when the new school year begins on September 1
- Her bureau studied the "HK$7,000 textbook list" and found essential textbooks cost HK$4,000 to HK$5,000 after removing supplementary materials like maps and dictionaries
- The government provides textbook subsidies for economically disadvantaged families but has no plans to relax income eligibility criteria
- Officials have told publishers not to pursue elaborate printing and to keep costs low through affordable production
- Teacher supply remains stable with 90% of education graduates securing teaching positions and less than 1% still job hunting
Why It Matters
With the new school year starting next Tuesday, many families face the burden of purchasing expensive textbooks. While the government maintains it cannot eliminate all income testing for textbook subsidies, ongoing pressure on publishers to reduce costs could ease financial strain on parents, particularly those from grassroots backgrounds already struggling with the high cost of living in Hong Kong.