In a letter sent to schools on Monday, Education Minister Anna Diamantopoulou invited them to participate in a voluntary ministry programme to promote the reuse of school textbooks, urging them to collect and return any school books that were still in good condition on June 6.
The minister noted that the action would be nationwide and seek to instill respect for public property, as well as to highlight the environmental, practical and sentimental value of books.
The books that are still in good condition will be re-issued to new students in September 2011, while the rest will be recycled.
In the last ten days of that month, the school with the highest number of returned books will be awarded with extra teaching materials from the School Books Publication Organisation (OEDV). There will also be a prize for the school that creates the best poster for promoting the programme, which will be printed and sent to all schools.
Until now, a complete set of free school textbooks for the year were issued to all children enrolled in Greek state schools, without any obligation that they be returned. The majority were thrown away at the end of the school year.
ANA
