Parents have objected to the distribution of free secondhand books as part of an expensive government project due to sanitary concerns, Education Minister Nimet Çubukçu has said.
“The course books distributed within the scope of the Free Class Books Project cannot be used, as the schools lack the infrastructure to control and protect the books. As the parents do not find the used books hygienic, giving a group of students new books and others used books does not serve our educational needs,” Çubukçu said.
The minister said the project, which has been running for eight years and has cost 2 billion Turkish Liras, hindered competition and was not cost-efficient in the long term. She also said the government forbade the use of supplementary course books.
“We announced the ban on the use of supplementary course books in a letter; they were creating an additional financial burden for the students,” Çubukçu said.
The minister said parents could notify the ministry if they were directed to purchase expensive supplementary course books, adding that the ministry would enforce the policy.
The Education Ministry made a contract with a private sector company in 2003 to prepare the course books as part of the distribution project.
from: Hurriyet Daily News
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