School textbooks overpriced and poor quality, watchdog warns

Consumer watchdog ACM has criticised educational publishers for pricey and poor-quality textbooks, calling on the industry to change its practices.

The ACM says that for the past seven years, prices for educational materials have been rising faster than those of other products and schools say the publications are not meeting their needs.

In a statement, the watchdog said it “calls on educational publishers to stop mandatory tied selling of licences and textbooks, and to better align product supply with demand.”

One major problem the organisation highlighted is that textbooks and the licences for e-materials are bundled together, which drives up costs. The ACM wants them to be sold separately.

The organisation also calls on schools to do more research into the textbooks they purchase.

“Pressure on publishers starts with schools’ willingness to switch to other learning materials,” board member Martijn Snoep said in a statement.

Secondary schools buy around €280 million worth of learning materials every year.