Won’t add up: Court directs K-P govt to check errors in textbooks

The petitioner contended books printed for the 2013-14 session have countless mathematical errors.

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) directed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government to constitute a committee of experienced educationists to rectify errors in textbooks.

A PHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Roohul Amin ordered the committee to file and forward suggestions to the provincial government on legislating laws to punish those responsible. The bench observed expenses incurred should be recovered from the people who made the mistakes.

It issued the orders while hearing a petition filed by Advocate Essa Khan, who pointed out several errors in textbooks printed for the 2013-14 academic year. He contended books with countless mathematical and other faults have been printed and are being used in schools.

According to the textbook board practices in the past, authors would be asked to write books, which would be reviewed by the board for errors, stated the advocate. The board would then ask three publishers to print the book and the best among them would be awarded a contract.



Essa claimed the previous government violated the policy, which resulted in countless errors. The former chief minister had been directed by the court to arrange its own machine to print books, but the printer was never installed.

The bench deemed it necessary for a committee of experts to review books prior to publishing so inaccuracies can be avoided in the future. The court disposed of the petition after giving the orders.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2013.