Sir, – As a parent whose son started secondary school this month, I am horrified by the outdated physical book mandate. We are obliged to provide an iPad, yet he must carry more than 22kg of textbooks – more than 50 per cent of his 43kg body weight. This far exceeds medical recommendations and risks long-term spinal health.
Reform is long overdue. Physical books should be condensed into chapters focused on core topics, supported by mind maps and study aids. Our digital infrastructure should handle the full curriculum; if we invest in devices, why are we still printing heavy books? Environmentally, this is unsustainable.
By enforcing new editions and locking content behind single-use QR codes, publishers actively prevent textbook reuse. Currently, only one publisher allows the purchase of new codes for used books.
Furthermore, we must address the unfairness of the free schoolbooks scheme, which excludes children in private education. Parental choice should not penalise future taxpayers.
RM Block
State-provided resources should treat all children equally. This affects everyone; community schools are forced into the same cycle of annual replacement, meaning taxpayers fund this publisher-led scheme.
The State must intervene. We cannot allow publishers to dictate terms while parents, tax payers and the environment foot the bill. – Yours, etc,
Suzanne Bell,
Donabate,
Co Dublin.
