The cost of textbooks for the same subjects in schools can vary widely, it has been claimed.

Speaking at the Oireachtas Education Committee, Kerry TD Brendan Griffin noted school books can be twice as expensive depending on the publications used by the school, the Irish Independent reports.

Mr Griffin explained that while textbooks in the same subject range can cost as much as €36 from one publisher, they can be as cheap as €17.95 from another.

It has therefore been put forward that the Department of Education should bring in a new system that sees books approved with a quality mark, as this will enable teachers to select the titles that are the most cost-effective to buy.

Mr Griffin used the example of geography books to illustrate his point. He noted that while one book was priced at €19.95 with one company, people would have to fork out €34.95 in order to purchase a similar book from a different publisher. 

Written by Donal Walsh

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