SINGAPORE - Nearly 250,000 textbooks have been collected since Oct 30, as part of FairPrice Group’s annual donation drive. 

This is close to half of its target of 500,000 textbooks it hopes to receive for its Share-A-Textbook project, with most donations coming in as examinations end and the end-of-year holidays start. 

Donors can continue to drop off their textbooks and other educational materials until the exercise ends on Nov 30, after which volunteers will sort the books and start distributing them to student beneficiaries.

A FairPrice Group spokesman said it hopes to exceed its target this year, and is calling for more donations so that all students in Singapore can benefit from the programme and get educational resources they need. 

In a survey conducted by the group in September, seven out of 10 people said they are considering using second-hand textbooks due to increasing book prices and financial hardship.

Fifty-seven per cent of respondents who took part in the survey said that they could save between $100 and $299 a year by using second-hand textbooks.

With the end of a two-year price freeze on a list of government-approved books, parents of primary and secondary school students have had to pay up to 7 per cent more for textbooks this year. This is on top of other educational materials such as assessment books, revision guides and past exam papers, which 86 per cent of respondents said they needed as well.

FairPrice Group surveyed 283 people, mostly from middle and upper-middle income households. Sixty-seven per cent were parents and 33 per cent were students.

To provide free second-hand and Ministry of Education-approved textbooks to students in Singapore, FairPrice Group opened up donations for its annual Share-A-Textbook drive on Oct 30. Donors can drop off their textbooks and other educational materials at all 177 FairPrice stores across Singapore. These include FairPrice supermarkets, FairPrice Xtra hypermarkets, FairPrice Finest stores, Warehouse Club, and FairPrice Xpress at Esso service stations.

Karin Lee Yi Jing, 16, a student of Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School, has been a beneficiary and volunteer of the Share-A-Textbook drive for the past three years. Apart from donating her used textbooks and volunteering to sort and distribute books for the drive, Karin has also obtained used textbooks from this initiative to help lessen the financial burden on her parents.

“I take three science subjects and the books are quite expensive, at about $30 each. So when I received three textbooks from the drive, I saved my parents about $90,” she said, adding that the drive is also a good way to encourage recycling of books and raise awareness about the plight of families who struggle to pay for their children’s textbooks.

This year, FairPrice Group is partnering =Dreams – a non-profit organisation that provides after-school academics and holistic support to low-income families – to collect, sort and distribute textbooks and educational materials such as notes, past exam papers and assessment books collected from the drive.

Ms Sharon Tay, the board director and chair of finance of =Dreams, said that its partnership with FairPrice Group is built on the charity’s mission to empower and inspire children from underprivileged backgrounds, and instil the values of sharing and sustainability in the community.

“Beyond the books, we aim to shape the future of families and children, and remind everyone that our next generation should always be encouraged and supported to dream big.”

Since it was first launched in 1983, Share-A-Textbook has grown to become Singapore’s largest annual textbook donation drive. It has brought together 15,000 volunteers who have sorted books and distributed them to students. Altogether, more than 6.8 million textbooks have gone towards helping over 280,000 students save on textbook expenses.

Mr Alvin Neo, chief customer and marketing officer of FairPrice Group, said that they aim to ease the cost of living for all in Singapore through Share-a-Textbook and are humbled to see people from all walks of life volunteer, cultivate the spirit of sharing, and contribute towards environmental sustainability.

“Access to education is at the heart of Singapore’s system of meritocracy, where all are rewarded by their ability and industriousness. Today’s students are our future generation of leaders, and we believe that regardless of social or economic background, they are all entitled to a fruitful education on equal footing.”