Being child number three among five siblings is to be in the best of positions and also the worst of positions. Worst, because much of your wardrobe and bookshelf is crammed with hand-me-downs from number one and two. Best, because the new clothes and books that came your way are quickly handed down to number four and five, creating space for you to receive new supplies of both.
Until the early 1990s, students under the ICSE board had a syllabus spanning three years (classes VIII to X) to prepare for their board examinations. So, I was using the same textbooks that my elder sister had. There was only a marginal difference between the old and new editions of these textbooks, and the teachers did not make an issue of this. Nor did I crib about carrying dog-eared second-hand books to school every day.
During my Intermediate studies, I used the Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry textbooks that had been handed down to me by my older siblings.
Books were hardbound and therefore sturdy enough to hop from one sibling to another. Some of these textbooks travelled further, entering the houses of friends.
Occasionally, I have wondered how my classmates were lucky to be studying with brand-new textbooks. Or, why the syllabus never changed so that I could possess a set of new books.
However, studying from second-hand books had more advantages than disadvantages. Important sections that have to to be studied were already marked for me. Of course, that made me lazy, but who cares when something is offered on a platter — well, in this case, between the covers. Exercises at the end of lessons were answered; so, I could be the first to answer them in the class.
Hand-me-down textbooks were so common at many homes as Government textbooks generally hit the market late. For the parent, it saved some money. And for the environment, some trees.
Now, as a parent, I hardly hear of books being kept for a younger sibling. A good number of schools effect a change of syllabus once in two years. There is way too much competition in the market that schools keep exploring the works of new publishers. A former principal of a school says there are way too many publishers these days and most of them offer the management perks such as sponsoring a free orientation programme for teachers.
Many institutions make good money selling on the school premises everything, from brown covers to notebooks, that is needed for the new academic year. And, you are forced to buy them from the school.