In the annual survey of the Consumer Council on textbook revision, education professionals commented that some changes like chapter sequence and layouts in the surveyed Integrated Science textbooks for junior secondary schools were "optional". They also considered that textbook publishers could present some content changes as supplementary materials to relieve the burden of parents.
The Council examined 3 sets of revised textbooks, which included History and Integrated Science for junior secondary classes. Comments were sought from two education expert groups to assess if the revisions are conducive to enhancement of teaching and learning.
Based on the assessments and comments of the experts, the revision of the 2 volumes of History textbooks surveyed were evaluated as "necessary", while revision of the remaining 4 volumes of Integrated Science textbooks was "somewhat necessary".
However, the education experts also took the view that the content changes in the Integrated Science textbooks, such as the update in technologies and social issues, supplementary teaching columns and after school activities could be published year by year in the format of supplementary materials so as to relieve the burden of consumers. In respect of the changes they made in chapter sequence, design and layout, experts considered the changes "optional".
Pages were added to the new editions of the surveyed textbooks but prices had remained unchanged.
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