25pc pry textbooks may not reach students Jan 1 due to delayed printing
30 December 2022
THE
authorities won't be able to deliver 25 per cent of the primary
textbooks on January 1, the first day of the next academic year, due to
the high price of paper, load-shedding and delays in placing the work
orders. The delivery, however, will not cause any problems as not all
students show up on the first day of school to collect all their
textbooks.
All primary and secondary students are expected to get
their full set of textbooks by January 10. The books appear to be
printed on low-quality papers and have poor printing quality. The paper
crisis was a big issue but several printing companies that won the
tender for printing primary textbooks did not sign a contract with the
NCTB.
Previously, the government used to distribute free textbooks
only at the primary level, which turned out to be difficult for many
students belonging to low-income groups or disadvantaged communities.
Besides, printers would often create an artificial crisis by not
printing and distributing books on time. In some cases, books used to
hit the stalls in March-April or even later that year.
Since 2010,
the government has been distributing free textbooks to primary and
secondary students at the beginning of the academic session. So far,
about 400 crore free textbooks have been delivered for free, garnering
praise from home and abroad. The success has led to significant
improvements in enrolment at the primary and secondary levels as well as
a decrease in the dropout rates.
Earlier, educationists anticipated
the crisis as the work order and printing were not started on time and
we warned the NCTB of the feared delay in printing textbooks. The
quality of books is related to the quality of education that ensures
human development, resulting in social and economic advancement. The
government's most lauded initiative has been blurred for the corrupt
officials and mismanagement.
