DUBAI/SHARJAH - The Ministry of Education does not fix the prices of textbooks sold to private school students, sources at the Department of Curricula and Purchase said on Wednesday.
The books are supplied by Lebanon Publishers Bookshop. “The publisher has the right to fix the prices which deem fit without interference from the ministry.
The textbooks are like any other products in the market; they are governed by the profit margin,” the sources said.
The memorandum of understanding the ministry had signed with the bookshop in 2003 would remain in effect until 2010.
Article 14 of the MoU gives the publisher the right to distribute its textbooks inside and outside the country provided that the books do not carry the emblem of the ministry.
The sources made this clarification after principals and heads of private schools expressed concern at the increase in the prices of textbooks.
The principals said the prices have gone up by 100 to 200 per cent over the previous year. As the new academic year nears, they also complained about delay in the delivery of textbooks by the publisher although the latter has received the payments in July.
The publisher, however, clarified that it has not received any directive from the ministry to print textbooks of subjects whose syllabi have changed. Shahrzad Mohammed, headmistress of Estiqlal Private School, said the school has not received any textbooks despite paying the amount due to the publisher a month ago.
Ibrahim Barka, principal of Shula Private School, said the private company has fixed higher prices this time.
“For instance, the Arabic Language textbook for Reading, which was priced at Dh15 last year, is sold for Dh45 now. The price of Mathematics textbook has gone up from Dh35 to Dh70. How can we start the new academic year without the textbooks?,” he asked the ministry.