Book publishers protest monopoly; textbooks prices to increase by 40%

The President of the Ghana Publishers Association, Asare Konadu Yamoah, has expressed displeasure over what he described as the Education Ministry imposing a monopoly in the textbook supply chain.

Addressing the press on recent happenings in the book publishing industry on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, Mr. Yamoah asserted that in advanced countries like the US, multiple publishers are engaged by authorities to produce books and other learning materials to promote learning diversity.

“In fact, most countries in Europe and particularly in the USA, whom we all look up to, still have text books from different publishers being used in schools to promote learning diversity and encourage the students to experience different content scenarios,” he said.

He believes that requiring all schools and students in the nation to use the same textbook will have a negative impact on their education by promoting rote learning and boring mental models.

“The use of one text book for all students and schools in the country will have diminishing effects on the students; rote learning and monotonous mental constructs will occur in our students.”

Mr. Yamoah disclosed that the current arrangement where different content-based text books are being used by Ghanaian students has been the best since it provides diverse cultural learning experiences and strengthens their ability to relate to and explore different circumstances.

He said that by having different outcomes through books, education should not be made uninteresting and that any attempts at indoctrination should be rejected.

He asked why the Ministry and its agencies will not prioritise the development and implementation of the legislature that enables the growth of the book market but rather unnecessarily interfere in the text book market.

He revealed that in 1997, the Ministry of Education initiated a text book development and distribution policy to liberalise the book industry. This policy, he noted, led to significant growth, investment, and employment opportunities in their industry. 

Mr. Yamoah also revealed that in 2002, the text book development and book policy, which was to act as the blueprint for the development of the book industry, clearly acknowledged that it is only the private sector under the liberalised system that can promote the country’s book industry and help situate reading literacy and education in Ghana.

He has also called on the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) to focus on its primary role of developing curriculum for schools and monitor its compliance, adding that they cannot work with an organisation that has openly declared its intention to support a particular publisher.

“We cannot trust NaCCA to be an independent and transparent regulator and therefore demand that the book assessment and approval role granted them be withdrawn,” the GPA President said.

The association further announced a 30% to 40% price increase for textbooks effective June 2024 to prevent the industry from collapsing, following a 27% value-added tax levied on their operations and general economic conditions.