The school education department in the district is in a state of readiness to distribute ‘Samacheer Kalvi' books to all government and government aided schools within two days of receiving the order from the Directorate of School Education.
School heads have been instructed to keep vehicles ready for collection of books from the 14 storage centres. Manpower for distribution and supervision have been enlisted and kept in a state of readiness for the purpose. The role of supervisors is to determine if the books have reached the schools. The Directorate of School Education has already released Rs.2.8 lakh to meet expenses towards transport of the textbooks from the storage centres to the schools, the Chief Educational Officer T. Mohana Kumar said.
The textbooks for vocational groups in higher secondary, books for all other standards were available for distribution free of cost to students in government and government higher secondary schools. But there could be a little delay in supplying text books for some of the English medium standards under the State pattern as well.
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Schools hitherto under Matriculation and Anglo Indian boards that had already submitted their requirements to the Tamil Nadu Text Book Corporation could collect the text books after making payments to the Regional Officer of the Corporation, Mr.Mohana Kumar said.
School heads anticipate a change in the academic schedule with reduced durations of quarterly and half-yearly holidays and, perhaps, postponement of dates for annual examinations.
Last week, the Supreme Court refused to stay the Madras High Court judgment striking down, as unconstitutional, an amendment to the Tamil Nadu Uniform System of School Education Act, and extended the time limit for distribution of textbooks till August 2. The High Court, in its judgement on July 18, had directed the State to distribute the textbooks printed under the Uniform System of School Education on or before July 22.
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