Six months have passed since the distribution of textbooks began in the state, and around two crore school textbooks are yet to reach students. Well, this signifies a good number of students in government schools resume attending classes without their books or using the ones issued in the previous year even after the state government delivered authorities with approximately 11.5 lakh textbooks for distribution in April.

There are about 1.92 crore students registered in 1.33 lakh schools in the state. Districts that lag in the distribution of textbooks to learners are Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Sonbhadra, and Etawah.

One of the officials commented on the issue that close to 95 percent of textbooks have been supplied to Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSAs) from printers. The delay is in the distribution at the district level, and efforts are on in order to fix it.

A senior official in the Basic Education Department, Shyam Kishore Tewari, wrote to BSAs saying that there were disparities over the information of books made available to them vis-à-vis textbooks circulated in schools. His letter stated that moderately few textbooks were distributed to students than those provided to BSAs.

He added that last week, Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh said in Vidhan Sabha that textbook distribution in schools got delayed due to the assembly elections held this year. Tewari added instructions were passed on to publishers about the issuance of purchase orders and distribution of textbooks delivered in the district. There has been less issuance as compared to the supply of books. Districts were demanded to make sure that 100 percent distribution is done this month.

In the lack of new books, teachers use the books distributed last year. Nevertheless, most of them are reportedly in poor condition. As a result, teachers handle and manage by dictating notes to students in multiple cases.

Tewari further said that the tender procedure commenced on time in December. The model code of conduct was in effect due to the U.P. assembly election. The new government had to take decisions through the cabinet. So things got waited.

News Source: Hindustan Times