Lawmakers Urge Evaluation of the Book-Publishing System to Ensure Affordable Prices

Jakarta (ANTARA) — A member of DPR RI Commission X, Abdul Fikri Faqih, urged the government to evaluate the book-publishing system to guarantee literacy access and address high prices in the market. ‘In fact, textbook packages are produced by the government through the Book Publishing Centre within the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Directorate General of Primary and Secondary Education. However, if prices remain expensive, an evaluation is necessary so that the spirit of high-quality, affordable, and evenly distributed books can truly be realised,’ the man known as Fikri was quoted in Jakarta on Thursday.

According to him, public complaints about the high price of books underscore the need to implement the mandate of Law Number 3 of 2017 on the Book Publishing System. He noted that high logistics costs and the long distribution chain currently often mean that shipping costs outside Java are higher than the price of the books themselves. He reminded that the spirit of that law is to ensure the availability of books that are of quality, affordable, and evenly distributed from Aceh to Papua.

Furthermore, Fikri highlighted the systemic impact of book prices on national literacy rates. He argues that when books are difficult to access, public interest in reading will decline significantly. The government is expected to continue strengthening education digitalisation policies, reflecting the success of implementation in other countries such as Australia and Finland. He warned of the need for the direction of digitalisation policy for education, including considering restrictions on social media use in schools as implemented in Australia to optimise the role of physical books.

Moreover, the legislator from Central Java Electoral District IX, comprising the city of Tegal, Tegal Regency, and Brebes Regency, emphasised the concerns of parents and education-psychology observers about the negative effects of excessive device use on children’s growth and development. Fikri argued that deterioration in children’s development could arise from reliance on social media. ‘If indeed the Minister of Education’s solution is that the focus is on deeper learning, then the primary means must be books. If prices remain high, the government must provide subsidies. If access is not yet evenly distributed, distribute fairly to the remotest areas,’ he said.