Forced textbook purchases on students

In my part of the world, we have a very funny but appalling pattern of forcing students to go for study items or materials, especially textbooks or handouts. I thought the method had changed with the increase in technological tools these days, but I confirmed from friends who are still in school and those who just graduated, and I found out that they were still being forced to buy textbooks and materials by the lecturer of the course. Meanwhile, the items are things that can easily be accessed online through various means, and in fact, one can find a similar textbook online to read and digest or in the library.

When I was in school, I had a lot of troubles due to low finances, paying for textbooks that were forced on us because, according to some of the lecturers, if one didn't buy, it meant that one had already lost some tangible marks. It was so bad because the contents of the textbooks could be found online, where I could learn and digest everything.

Another scenario I can't forget in a hurry was during my first year in school. We were to undergo a Physical Education Exercise session, and we were required to don sportswear, which was all white. We could have easily worn the sportswear we already had or bought from the market, but the lecturer involved made it compulsory that everyone must buy from her. And guess what? The price of the wears was exorbitantly high, and we were forced to buy because, according to her, anyone who refused to buy would fail the course, and that meant a carryover. Yes, it was that bad to that tune.

Do you know what? I paid for those items and up till today, I never got mine. Why? There were stories here and there about exhaustion of the items and promises to get new supplies, but she never did. There was nothing I could do because my friends and I got tired of the endless movement to get the items. But because our names had been entered into the list of students who paid, we didn’t fail the course. Can you imagine that? I remember that during those exercise sessions, she told us to wear anything to join, meanwhile, that was against her instructions at the initial stage.

I don’t find it funny at all how lecturers force students to buy items from them at high prices or items they can easily access online. I know that they make ends meet from there, but that system should be banned from the educational system.

The world has advanced a lot, and many things that made schooling difficult in the olden days should be made easier now.

Thanks for reading.

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