Book banks for schools in Punjab planned

Textbook board unable to cater to all students of government institutions

LAHORE:

As the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board will not be able to provide free books to all students in the province, the school education department has issued instructions to set up book banks in all districts of the province.

The department has instructed the all district chief executive officers (CEOs) to set up the book banks.

Under the plan, the school heads in all districts will collect books from the students promoted to next grades for distribution among the new pupils.

According to sources, the textbook board has failed to provide free books to the government school students that is its prime responsibility. This year again, due to mismanagement and incompetence of the officials concerned, the students will not be able to get free textbooks on time,

Sources in the board said the textbook printing process had not been started in time for the new academic year.

The academic year in the province will begin on April 1.

Last year, the books were given to the students after a three-month delay due to mismanagement on the part of the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board.

In view of the apprehension, the Punjab School Education Department has decided to set up book banks in all districts.

"The Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board will not be in a position to provide textbooks on time as had happened last year. In view of the situation, we are planning to provide textbooks to all students by establishing book banks,” a senior official of the school education department told The Express Tribune.

Under the plan, a focal person will be appointed to monitor the book collection. The students will be given books from the book banks in all districts.

The school heads will be responsible to collect books from senior students and provide them to new students, the official added.

Three months ago, the caretaker government had limited plan to distribute free textbooks in the province. Under the new decision, only half of the students from class six to 10 will be given free textbooks.

For class four and five, 80 per cent of the students will be given free textbooks.

All students up to class three will receive the free books.

The decision had raised concerns among the teacher and parents that the families facing financial constraints would not be able to purchase expansive textbooks from the markets.

An official said the decision to establish the book banks had been taken to provide relief to the parents in this regard.

"The school heads have received the instructions for collecting books from students and the teachers will also be busy in collecting the books for the book banks in addition to the teaching responsibilities,” a leader of a teachers’ union said.

He lamented that the school education sector was facing a variety of recurring problems that needed the attention of the higher authorities.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2024.