As the new school term approaches, parents across the island are once again digging deep into their pockets to purchase textbooks with some questioning whether the expense is even worth it.

“It is ridiculous,” said Ciji Worrell, a parent shopping for her daughter who attends a primary school and a secondary school-aged son. Worrell said her daughter’s textbooks alone have cost about $160 so far and that figure does not include exercise books, uniforms or shoes. Her frustration, however, is less about the price tag and more about how little the books are actually used.

“Last year a lot of my daughter’s books came back and if ten pages got used out of her books, that’s nuff,” she said. She was equally puzzled by schools still requesting reams of paper when much of the coursework is now sent home by email. “What are you doing with the paper?” she asked.