Laptops okay, but where are the textbooks?

Friday, 20/07/2012

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120720/punjab.htm#14

From promising laptops to distributing bicycles, the government has taken several steps to draw more students to schools and improve the state’s literacy rate. But in Muktsar, these initiatives are proving futile.

It’s been three months since the academic session began in April, but there are a number of government schools in the district where students are yet to receive textbooks. This, despite the fact that the Education Department has plenty of them lying in its block office in Muktsar. A visit to the office store showed a huge stock of books gathering dust. Block Education Officer Amarjeet Kaur claimed a few books, including those for Home Science (Classes VI-VIII), Agriculture (Class X) and Punjabi (Class X), had been sent to them by the Punjab School Education Board recently.

Amarjeet Kaur, incharge of Muktsar-I, Muktsar-II and Gidderbaha blocks, said: “The Board officials did not provide us books in time…Principals of various schools have now been told to collect these. The process may take a few more days.”

She blamed staff shortage for the late supply of books. “We don’t have adequate staff, which is a major hurdle in supplying books. There are five sanctioned posts of block resource persons for Muktsar-II, catering to 97 schools, but all are vacant.”

When the matter was brought to the notice of DC Paramjit Singh, he sought a detailed report from District Education Office Gurinder Kaur, who also blamed the staff crunch for the delay.

“We have six blocks in Muktsar district and only two block education officers. They have been given additional charge of two blocks each. They are overburdened… At times, we receive books late. On occasions, schoolteachers don’t turn up in time to collect the books,”she said

Some books yet to be published
On the one hand, the state government has announced to distribute free tablets among 1.5 lakh students in Class XII this year, and on the other it has even failed to publish textbooks in time.

Books for Home Science for Classes IX and X are yet to be published by the Punjab School Education Board, Deputy Director (Publication) Jaswinder Singh said. “The publication of the books is under process. We will get these published probably by next week,” he said.

A department insider said this was not the first time that books were not available to students in time.

The state government distributes books free of cost among students in all government schools up to Class VIII.

In Classes IX and X, boys belonging to the SC community are provided books free of charge.

However, all girls students up to Class X are provided free books .