Textbook prices unexpectedly increased by 16.9%

Yesterday afternoon, April 28, the Education Publishing House announced the price of textbooks for 2011. Accordingly, some books increased slightly, some increased significantly, the overall rate was 16.9%.

Explaining the increase in book prices, Mr. Nguyen Minh Khang, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Education Publishing House, said: “From the end of 2010 to the beginning of 2011, all items increased in price. In particular, the price of raw paper increased by 30%, and the transportation cost also nearly doubled. Printing houses also simultaneously sent official dispatches to the Education Publishing House requesting an increase in printing costs. If the price was not increased, they would not accept to print books for the Education Publishing House. Therefore, the Publishing House had to study the plan to adjust textbook prices, then report to the Price Management Department for consideration, submit to the Ministry of Finance for approval, and submit to the Prime Minister for approval to increase prices.”

Illustration photo: VnExpress

According to Mr. Khang, some books increased slightly, some books increased a lot, the overall rate was 16.9%. In general, the price of textbooks like that is still cheap, the increase is still not keeping up with the price of paper, still not enough to cover costs. The increase should have been higher. Following the Prime Minister's direction, the Government agreed to increase but still had to participate in price stabilization. The Vietnam Education Publishing House adjusted the cover price of 193 books printed in 2011. The prices of books printed in 2010 and earlier were not adjusted. The retail prices of these books are applied uniformly nationwide.

According to Mr. Khang, the number of textbooks this year is about 80 million copies. In 2010, the textbook revenue of the Education Publishing House was 522 billion VND, a loss of 100 billion VND. However, it is necessary to review the needs of the people with the current economic conditions, but will ensure adequate service. Besides printing new books, the Publishing House also encourages students to use old books, increase textbooks for shared bookcases at schools so that more students can use them. Besides, it encourages students to donate textbooks to poor students or sell used textbooks to local Book - School Equipment companies so that these companies can sell them cheaply to students.

According to Dan Tri