The school year is winding down and perhaps you are thinking of doing some tidying up after another busy season. If you are wondering what to do with your child’s unused school textbooks (yes, sometimes we end up with multiples), you can consider donating them to the FairPrice Share-A-Textbook initiative.
The initiative dates back to 1983 when it started out as the Used Textbook Project. Under the initiative, textbooks were collected and distributed for free to needy students.
In 2010, the project was renamed FairPrice Share-A-Textbook.
The aims of the FairPrice Share-A-Textbook project are to help relieve the financial burden of families by providing them with free pre-loved textbooks, encouraging thrift and promoting a greener Singapore through recycling of books.
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Over the years, more than 6.8 million textbooks have been collected. These have gone towards helping over 280,000 students.
From 30 October till 3 December 2023, the public can donate textbooks at more than 150 FairPrice stores throughout Singapore, including FairPrice Xtra hypermarkets, FairPrice Finest stores, FairPrice Supermarkets and FairPrice Xpress outlets.
The type of preloved textbooks which is being sought are those which are in the current syllabus and in usable condition with no torn or missing pages or scribblings.
For reference, the books that are in the current syllabus can be found on the Ministry of Education’s website.
The top three subjects of school textbooks needed are Mathematics, Mother-Tongue & English.
You can also donate exam preparation & supplementary materials.
At the end of the donation period, the books will then be sorted through by volunteers.
Collection Days
Members of the public are welcomed to register to attend the Share-A-Textbook distribution drive to browse a wide selection of book donations, and take home some of these generously donated books.
The Share-A-Textbook distribution will be held on 6, 7, 9 and 10 December 2023 at =DREAMS, 99 Haig Rd, Singapore 438748.
8 December 2023 has been set aside for students who fall under a priority collection scheme.
Pre-booking of time slots is required. The booking platform will be open from 24 November 2023. The link to the booking platform can be found here.
Any books that have not been picked up at the end of the collection period will be sent for recycling.
There are also volunteering opportunities for those who wish to help out with the FairPrice Share-A-Textbook initiative.
Volunteers are needed to help sort through the donations, and setup and help with the distribution of the books. Sorting will take place from 21 November to 5 December 2023. Distribution will take place from 6 to 10 December 2023.
Those who are interested to volunteer can find more information here.
If you liked this story, you may also like this one on how to donate items in Singapore.
