Canadian Approval

PEARSON PLC
31 August 1999


PEARSON WELCOMES CANADIAN APPROVAL

Pearson plc, the international media company, today welcomed the Canadian
Government's approval of their application to acquire control of Prentice Hall
Canada Inc. and to merge it with its Addison Wesley Longman Ltd business in
Canada.

The approval by the Government of Canada concludes the regulatory process
which followed Pearson plc's acquisition of the Simon & Schuster education,
reference and business & professional publishing divisions from Viacom Inc.
education for $4.6 billion in November 1998.  This acquisition created Pearson
Education, the world's leading education business.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 

Pearson plc                     Benjamin Wegg-Prosser         [phone]