The Education Bureau has welcomed the freezing of prices on the Recommended Textbook List for the 2010-11 school year, by the members of two textbook publisher associations.

Appreciating their efforts to ease parents' financial burden in the new school year, the bureau also welcomed support from the two associations in recognising its policy of 'debundling textbooks and learning/teaching resources for pricing'.

The bureau said it wants to address the textbook price-setting issue. The Working Group on Textbooks & e-Learning Resources Development's report in October recommended the debundling policy from the 2010-11 school year to enforce the "user-pays" principle.

As textbook publishers may need time to resolve problems encountered in implementing the proposal, the bureau will postpone its implementation for a year, but will continue to discuss the matter and issues about providing quality teaching materials, including e-learning materials, with publishers.

A circular on Notes on Selection of Textbooks & Learning Materials for Use in Schools was issued today advising schools not to solicit free teaching materials and floral baskets from publishers, nor asking them to donate equipment or place advertisements in school publications, to help publishers avoid waste and reduce costs, thereby lowering textbook prices.

Click here for the Recommended Textbook List for the 2010-11 school year.