RIYADH — About 43 percent of elementary school students dump their textbooks after the final examinations, according to a study published recently. The study, conducted by the Arab Magazine for Educational and Psychological Sciences, said about 40 percent of the intermediate and 17 percent of secondary school students do the same. However, about 71 percent of the students said they did not do this as an expression of dissatisfaction with their school or teachers. The study said about 93 percent of the students considered throwing their books away at the end of the academic year to be uncivilized conduct although 48 percent of them had actually done so. About 84 percent of the surveyed students said the school did not give them any idea about the costs of printing textbooks or the importance of preserving them for future reference. The study said 46 percent of the books that were thrown away consisted of science and mathematics texts, 32 percent Arabic language book and 7 percent religious books. About 60 percent of students said they did not mean malice by dumping their books, but were only expressing their happiness at the end of the academic year. According to the study, about 77 percent of the students preferred to receive digital textbooks instead of printed ones while 83 percent suggested that they be given cupboards to keep their books throughout the year and leave the school to decide whether to use them the following year or hand them to a specialized company for recycling. Some 47 percent of the students believe that the best way to keep the books in tact is by making it a condition for receiving certificates while 59 percent said giving back the books to the school should be tied up to issuing them the certificates of good conduct.
