There should be some respite for parents and students, this year, from queuing up at the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) here to buy question bank with model question papers, brought out by the Tamilnadu State Parent Teacher Association. The Class XII question banks are now available in all the other districts of the State. However, going by the queue outside the book sales counter at the DPI on Friday, it looked like not many were aware about this.
Parents and relatives of students coming from Krishnagiri, Kumbakonam and outskirts of the city lined up outside the counter under the afternoon sun for hours to get a set of the books. While they complained that the line was moving very slow, many had no qualms about waiting as they believe that questions banks help the students prepare better for the Board examinations.
Bhavika Bagaria, class XII student of Jai Gopal Garodia Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Anna Nagar, came after a school exam to get her copies of the book. “My teachers have been stressing on studying from these question banks. But I could not get a copy of these books like some of my classmate who got it from their seniors,” she said. One mark questions are what most students tend to lose marks in. The books have them chapter-wise and are prepared by experts. “There has already been delay in the sale of these books and I know its urgency as I lost quite a number of marks in the unit test,” she added. According to Angelo Irudayasamy, secretary of the Association, the Tamilnadu Text Book Corporation has printed close to 500 titles of each subject in English and 300 in Tamil, and books have already been sent to 29 districts. But, Tamil and Chemistry books are yet to come, which officials said, they hope to get by early next week.
“I am going to send my uncle to purchase Tamil and Chemistry books. I cannot make it to Chennai all the way again,” said Santosh Kumar, a class XII student, who came from Mannargudi.
One more counter will be opened at the State Parent Teacher Association premises in DPI, said Mr. Irudayasamy. The books are also on sale at Dr. Ambedkar Government Higher Secondary School, Egmore. They are priced between Rs.30 and Rs.90. For details, contact the Association office at 28279758.
Meanwhile, question banks for class X textbooks based on the new syllabus would take time before they are available at the counter. They are generally sold along the same time as class XII books. Officials say that as it a new syllabus, the Directorate of School Education would have to identify the list of authors and make them write based on the blueprint and printing would take at least two weeks.
