Education ministry to review textbook lists

The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information has announced plans to review schools’ textbook lists to ensure that only essential, high-quality texts are required, amid growing concerns about rising back-to-school costs.

Parliamentary Secretary in the ministry, Senator Marlon Morgan, made the disclosure while visiting Edward Seaga Primary School in Kingston to observe proceedings marking the opening of the 2026/27 academic year yesterday. He said the review will focus on developing a master list that clearly distinguishes between mandatory and approved supplementary texts, helping parents balance academic requirements with financial affordability.

Morgan advised that the decision comes amid mounting concerns from parents and advocacy groups about lengthy and costly textbook lists. He cited instances in which families make significant financial sacrifices to purchase prescribed texts, only to find that some are never used during the school year. He emphasised that while teachers often seek to use a variety of resources to enrich classroom instruction, requiring students to purchase five to seven books for a single subject can place an unsustainable financial burden on families.