By Express News Service
SRIKAKULAM: Almost four months have elapsed since the schools reopened this academic year. Teachers are set to complete the syllabus for Class X students by the end of this year and only three months are left for that. The syllabi of all classes from Class 1 to IX is scheduled to be completed by March-end. However, the students of several schools are still waiting for textbooks.
Education officials of the district have managed to get the books by negotiating with adjacent districts. Not even a single school in the district distributed textbooks of subjects to all students. Some sets of old books were managed from senior students who were promoted to higher classes. Keeping all the issues aside, the government had conducted FA1 and FA2 examinations in all schools and is planning to conduct summative 1 examination in November.
Taking it seriously, the teachers of various schools, led by their associations, are planning to stage a protest.It was learnt that some schools in the district received the books this week.The district stood fourth in the State with 96.58 per cent passes in SSC results last year. Taking inspiration from last year’s results, district education officials are planning to keep the district on top in the State this year.
On the whole, 2,53,833 students are studying in Classes I to X at various government schools in the district. As many as 3,277 schools are being operated by municipal corporation, Zilla Parishad, government, tribal welfare and other departments in the district.
“We received about 70 per cent of books for Classes VI and VII while 80 per cent of books were received for higher Classes VIII, IX and X,” said Ichchapuram government school headmistress Sujatha.When compared to Telugu and English media, “We received a few Odiya medium books. However, we have managed books from the old students.
We have not received Telugu language books for Classes I, II and III so far, while we received some in other subjects like Science, English and Mathematics, said T Sreenivasa Rao, Kanugulavalasa UP schoolteacher. He also said that the grant for annual maintenance was yet to be released. With no alternatives, we had to procure stationery by spending our own money,” he added. “We have supplied about 14,97,260 books, including Telugu, English and Odiya media for primary, upper primary and high schools in the district,” said M Sairam, DEO.
The DEO said under the impact of enrolment drives, conducted in summer this year, about 10,000 students shifted to government schools from private and other corporate schools. Since the indent was placed based on the last year’s enrolment, shortage of books surfaced this year. “However, we are managing the books from old students and the adjacent districts,” he said.He also said the shortage would be overcome as the books are likely to be supplied in the next few days.
