Schools to use old textbooks

Cash-strapped govt struggles with rising costs of paper, printing and publishing

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab government has decided to get old textbooks from the students of all government schools and give these to the students of previous classes at the time of enrolment for the new academic calendar year.

The decision has been taken in the backdrop of the rising cost of paper, material, printing and publishing of textbooks and their prices. Chief Minister Maryaz Nawaz approved the decision keeping in view the severe financial crisis.

The textbooks from all the students, who have passed grade one to grade 10 in provincial government schools, will be given to newly enrolled students free of cost.

According to the decision, the textbooks of all 47,500 male and female students, who will pass the annual examination, will be taken back by their class teachers. Those who fail to submit textbooks will be fined.

The provincial education ministry has issued a formal letter to the chief executive officers of all 43 District Education Authorities to establish "textbook banks" in all government schools of the districts and submit reports within three days.

A head teacher for the textbook bank will be appointed in each school to supervise the collection of textbooks from the students soon after the exams. These books will be submitted to the class teacher by students and will be deposited in the textbook bank.

All these old textbooks will then be distributed free of cost among the students who will pass the exam and join the new academic year starting from April 1 to April 5. The execution of the plan will save billions of rupees annually and only five to 10% of new books will have to be purchased for the government schools.

Sources the provincial education department told The Express Tribune that the textbooks in poor shape would be stitched for reuse. The implementation of the decision has already started this month as heads and class teachers of all the schools have issued instructions to the students to submit their textbooks of old classes to the class teachers forthwith.