The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) says on average, there was an 8.51% increase in the prices of textbooks this year compared to last year.

This was revealed by Director of Research at the CAC, Raquel White, who revealed the findings of the annual textbook survey 2022, this morning.

She explained that the survey is done to provide parents and guardians with reliable pricing data.

The survey was done of 49 bookstores, 12 in the greater Kingston Metropolitan Area and 37 outlets in rural towns. There was also an online survey to examine the prices online versus in-store.

Mrs. White said the prices of 173 of the most popular textbooks for the infant, primary and secondary levels were examined.

She said the prices of some books also saw reductions.

The survey was conducted between August 8 and 12, later than other years.

Usually, the survey is done in the last week of July.

Mrs. White said the CAC consulted with the Book Industry Association of Jamaica which advised that due to dislocation caused by the covid pandemic, there was some uncertainty regarding the demand for books and suppliers had delayed ordering.