Teachers and students in government schools are a worried lot as the supply of textbooks is yet to gain momentum in Ernakulam district.
Teachers said the students of Classes 2, 4, 6 and 8 were the worst affected as they had not received the revised textbooks for the new academic year that began on June 1. The situation was no different for students in other classes owing to the shortage of textbooks, they said.
Students clueless
The school authorities said students following the Malayalam medium had no clue about when they would receive the textbooks.
“For Class 10, we have not received any textbooks for those following Malayalam medium. The situation is slightly better for English medium students. They have got textbooks for Maths, Social Science and Information Technology,” they said.
Blaming the Education Department for the inordinate delay in the distribution of textbooks, teachers alleged that certain vested interests wanted to hand over the publication of textbooks to private companies before entrusting the job to the Kakkanad-based Kerala Books and Publications Society (KBPS). The delay in issuing the relevant orders to the KBPS and procurement of paper for printing of textbooks led to the present crisis, they said.
M.K. Shine Mon, Deputy Director of Education, Ernakulam, said the printing of revised textbooks was not yet completed. “There is a region-wise disparity in the distribution of textbooks. It is almost over in schools in Aluva educational sub-district. A clear picture on the percentage of schools that have received the textbooks for the new academic year will emerge only after the Postal Department, which is responsible for delivering the textbooks in the schools, submits its report to us”, he said.
Teachers said many schools in Kothamangalam, Muvattupuzha, Koothattukulam, North Paravur and Kolencherry have not received textbooks for several classes. Last year, the textbooks had reached schools only during the second term, they added.
