Some Medan children have to make do with used schoolbooks

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan

Braving the scorching midday sun, Nurhayati, a mother in her 40s, was seen strolling into a used-book center on Jl. Medan Merdeka, Medan. There, she could see used books on the shelves; sometimes, she looked at her shopping list.

As her budget was limited, she often had to bargain hard with the shopkeeper on the price. Occasionally, she demanded the shopkeeper reduce the price of a book; otherwise, she would buy elsewhere.

Nurhayati, whose two children are currently studying in junior and senior high schools in Medan, is one of thousands of parents in the city who are busy helping their children prepare for the 2004/2005 school term. Some parents go to tailors and shopping malls to look for new clothes, while others, like Nurhayati, struggle to find cheap books for their children.

As could be seen on Friday last week, many parents of school- aged children in the city thronged used-book centers here adjacent to Merdeka Square and along Jl. Salak. Of at least 350 kiosks offering a wide range of books, almost all were teeming with customers. They said that the presence of used-book traders was something of a relief, as books sold there were cheaper than new textbooks issued at schools.

Nurhayati, who lives in Medan Johor, some two kilometers from the used-book center, said that if there were no such traders, it would be impossible for her to buy school books for her three children studying at junior and senior high school, bearing in mind the high price of books sold at the schools.

"Within the first week, the school has already asked us to buy books. As school books are expensive, I suggested to my children they jot down the titles, plus the authors and publishers, and we could look for them here."

"I can save Rp 20,000 (US$2.20) to Rp 45,000 on the price of a new book offered by the school," she told The Jakarta Post at the used-book center near Merdeka Square.

Separately, a private senior high school student, Santi, said that students were allowed to buy books outside. She has opted for used books because there is not that much difference to new ones. Rather than using the money from her parents to buy new books, she could spend the remainder on other necessities.

"What's the difference between buying a new or a used one? The contents are the same. Perhaps they only look old," said Santi.

Bustling business at used-book centers has enabled the book sellers to make more of a profit.

A used-book seller at Merdeka Square, Frans Panjaitan, 39, said that he had been selling used books for 20 years. He said that income from selling secondhand books was quite good at the start of the new school term, when it could be double what it was on normal days.

"I usually make a net profit of Rp 150,000 per day on normal days, but during the new term I can earn Rp 300,000 to Rp 400,000 per day," said Frans.

Frans said the content of recently published books was almost the same as in older editions. "The only thing that changes is the cover," he said.