Textbook delay hits unaided schools in Kerala

KOCHI: Supply of textbooks to schools under the state stream, especially those in the unaided sector, remains affected with Onam examinations scheduled to begin on August 29. The supply of textbooks to Classes IX and X, the syllabus of which was revised this year, and the IT textbook of Class VIII, which was also revised this year, has been affected the most.

“Majority of the government and aided schools have received the textbooks for free till Class VIII and the rest by paying. But it got delayed for unaided schools,” said an education department official. A senior official of the Kerala Books and Publications Society (KBPS), which prints textbooks, said that sufficient number of textbooks were ready with KBPS in June itself, but could not be released to unaided schools for want of release orders.

“The schools had remitted the cost of books to the Textbook Office under Education Department, but it sat on it,” he said adding the release order was issued by Textbook Office on Wednesday. “We had distributed bulk of textbooks before and what pending is that of the IT subject. We will immediately distribute all after we receive the release order,” he said and added that now 64,000 additional print orders have been given in 84 titles, creating confusion in printing process.

The education department official said that 15 to 20 per cent students in the government and aided sector in 20 per cent of total schools have not got the textbooks due to fault on the part of the schools in giving indent. Meanwhile, Education Minister Prof C. Raveendranath told mediapersons in the state capital on Thursday that the issue will be sorted out in four days.