SUVA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Fijian government will introduce electronic books to replace hardcopy textbooks for schools, a Fijian minister said on Saturday.

According to Fijivillage news website, Fiji's Minister for Education Rosy Akbar said that the ministry is in the process of introducing the electronic book policy to replace textbooks next year to ensure there is proper management of finance as textbooks seem to be replaced annually.

The reason for introducing e-books is that every year the ministry receives requests of the same number of textbooks although there is no increase in the number of students in the schools and this was costing Fijian taxpayers millions of dollars, she said, adding that this year the ministry has allocated 9 million Fijian dollars (about 4 million U.S. dollars) for textbooks alone.

Akbar said when the e-book policy will be introduced, students will have to return the e-books in the condition they are given to them.

More responsibility is needed from the parents and children and it is time to inculcate the behaviour of responsibility in Fijian children otherwise everything that is given out by the ministry will not be taken care of by them, she added.

The Fijian government has been providing free bus fares, free textbooks and free education in a move to make burdens lighter for parents and to educate more Fijian children.